Melissa Gentz, 22, a Brazilian social media star and college student at the University of South Florida is going viral after sharing photos on Instagram of her bruised face and bloodshot eyes that allegedly resulted from a horrifying fight with her ex-boyfriend Erick Bretz, 25, on Sept. 23.
According to Melissa's social media, the fight started over a picture she posted on Instagram that Erick felt was too revealing.
"I am reposting this picture because my ex-boyfriend deleted it without my consent," Melissa wrote on Instagram. "He told me that women with boyfriends could not have pictures 'showing their breasts.' I am asking ALL Women to have the strength and courage to end abusive relationships like my last one was."
She explained that he would complain about her Instagram photos, then about the comments on the photos, and then about text messages she received. "There came the day in which he grabbed me by my hair and told me that I had to accept my reality because I was the woman in the relationship," she wrote.
Melissa then shared a photo of her injured face on social media, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes and comments.
"I won’t hide the marks of my story because NO woman should feel ashamed of feel blamed for being a victim of domestic violence," she wrote on Instagram.
According to reports, police wrote that Erick was "argumentative and jealous" after drinking and taking prescription medication for insomnia.
The couple dated for three months before the incident occurred at his apartment in Tampa, Florida.
Melissa told police that Erick took her phone and "bothered" her to the point she pushed him and attempted to punch him. "He threw her to the floor, kicked her in the face and began to strangle her with his legs," the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He then punched her in the face multiple times and pulled out chunks of her hair, she told police. He also allegedly tossed her around the room by her hair and struck her in the face with a bottle.
After she was able to free herself and run to the apartment’s bathroom, he reportedly kicked in the door and trapped her inside the room. Eventually, she says she escaped to the building’s lobby, where the doorman called 911 for an ambulance to take her to a hospital.
Hours later, Melissa returned to the apartment with two police officers to get her stuff. Erick was arrested at 7:17 p.m.
Erick was released from the Hillsborough County jail on Sept. 25 after posting $60,000 bail and agreeing to a restraining order.
He reportedly comes from an extremely wealthy family in Brazil. His family owns a successful chain of grocery stores and he has been described as a "multi-millionaire."
According to People, Melissa said, "I talked to several of his ex-girlfriends. He was always jealous … I’m afraid he will not be punished.”
In a statement to People, Bretz’s attorneys said her story is false because she showed “no sign of trauma to her neck” and that Erick's hands have "no signs consistent with striking someone multiple times.”
His lawyers are also claiming that he has no history of violence against women. “The evidence in this case clearly dictates that Ms. Gentz was the aggressor,” they said.
His family now wants to prosecute Melissa for "her slanderous and libelous actions,” his attorneys said. “They will seek to recover damages for the harm to his and his family’s outstanding reputation.”
"Life moves on and we’re all strong enough to put ourselves first," Melissa wrote on Instagram.
We really hope justice is served in this case.
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.
