Man Dies After Being Bitten; Wife Arrested

A Modesto man has died after his wife held him down and bit him repeatedly when he refused to have sex with her, police said.

Kelli Pratt, 45, was booked on suspicion of elder abuse, domestic violence and assault on a police officer. Homicide charges were pending the outcome of toxicology results, said Sgt. Al Carter. Those tests are not expected for several weeks, but they could show whether the bites created an infection that killed 65-year-old Arthur Pratt.

Authorities say he died Sunday at Doctors Memorial Center in Modesto, six days after the attack. His skin was riddled with more than 20 deep tooth marks, which may have contributed to the ailing man’s death, Carter said.

“He was able to dial 911 that night,” Carter said. “We have a tape recording of him screaming while she was biting him. When officers arrived, he was screaming that he’d been assaulted. She fought with the officers and tried to bite them too.”

Carter said Arthur Pratt had been released from a hospital several days before the incident. He suffered from diabetes, heart and circulation problems, and other health issues.

Kelli Pratt is being held on $50,000 bail.

“I’ve seen cases where dogs have bitten kids, and blood loss or infection led to death,” Carter said. “I’ve never heard of anyone being bitten to death before.”