Moment MMA fighter accused of threatening girlfriend’s mother is arrested for a domestic incident

A former Georgia MMA fighter accused of threatening his girlfriend’s mother was arrested a year before her death for a domestic incident after accusing his lover of stealing money for drugs. The deceased woman’s son said her death was the “darkest and most poignant time.”

Andrew Giegerich, 27, of Athens, Georgia was arrested on September 4, 2021 for violating a no-contact order and hitting the house of his occasional girlfriend Amanda Bearden.

He claimed that his then-girlfriend stole money for drugs from him and kicked him out.

The arrest came nearly a year before he claimed to have written a threatening handwritten message, recorded in police evidence files, which read, “If you or your family ever come near me again, I will hurt them.” Have a nice life you lie an asshole. Never contact me again!!!” the New York Post reported.

Her mother Debbie Collier, 59, was found dead on September 11, 2022, her body naked, burned and tied to a tree in Athens.

A day before her death, Collier reportedly sent her daughter $2,385 through Venmo, attached to a bizarre note saying she was being held against her will. However, researchers have ruled out suicide or kidnapping.

So far, neither Bearden nor Giegerich have been listed as suspects.

In the September 2021 bodycam footage obtained by Fox newsit shows the MMA fighter being taken into police custody after Bearden, 36, called the police for knocking on her door and demanding his money, which he claims she stole from him to buy drugs.

“That’s the only reason we’re in contact,” Giegerich told police. ‘Every week she takes’ [$500] or $600 off my check, and I don’t know how that’s right. She goes and does doping with my money.

“I made $30 to $40,000 this year and I’m broke because she spent it all on drugs.”

Bearden – who has a criminal record, including several domestic violence cases – had called police to complain that her then-ex-boyfriend “knocked on the door and yelled” around 8:30 a.m.

Her ex claimed she “manipulated” him into “linking our cards together so she can send herself money from my card” after he lost his phone and that she constantly sends herself money.

“The first person to touch my money is her,” he told police. ‘[She can] basically do what she wants with me, kick me out when she wants, basically just do what they want.

“And it’s okay because I’m a man. I can’t help but let her do it and leave.’

The MMA fighter briefly mentioned Collier to police during the September 2021 arrest, saying: “I’ve been arrested before – the last time I was arrested for faking anything, I mean her mother … I don’t know what the problem is is here. I don’t know why I’m so different (sic).’

The police reminded the fighter that he was not allowed on her property and that he did not want to talk to him.

They eventually arrested him and asked if he could just “go home,” according to Fox News.

As he sat in the back of the police cruiser, he became annoyed and began slamming into the cage and sobbing, Fox News reported. He was concerned that he would not be released from prison until November, but the officer comforted him and told him that he would probably be released the next morning.

According to Fox News, he assured officers that he was not taking any drugs.

He was also arrested on September 16, 2022 for violating his probation and has a history of domestic violence, and was told to show evidence of substance abuse treatment within 20 days.

DailyMail.com saw the couple leave their home this week as the investigation into Debbie’s brutal murder accelerated.

Giegerich has complained that the couple were recently “interrogated” by police over Debbie’s death.

‘The [police have] questioned us all. The people closest to you [Collier] are currently considered suspects,” he told the Post.

In a tribute to his mother on Saturday, Collier’s son Jeffery Bearden wrote, “I will never fully express the loss of my mother and what she meant to me. She was my longest source of love, support and encouragement.

‘My mother was a very lively and strong soul. She was someone who valued kindness, empathy, and understanding all her life. She went through life recognizing the beauty and grace in everything she saw and experienced around her.’

He said the loss of his mother was the “darkest and most poignant time” and that “our lives have irrevocably changed.”

“Our grief is here and our pain is deep,” he wrote, alongside photos of him and his mother.

This comes after it was revealed that the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office had issued a search warrant for Bearden’s home, reported Fox News, one of several requested during the investigation.

Police have not responded to requests for comment on what was found when searching Bearden’s home.

Debbie lived with her husband Steve in their home in Athens.

On Friday, he fought back tears when he told DailyMail.com that Debbie was the “love of his life.”

The couple had been married for four and nine years and both had children from previous marriages.

“It’s been two long weeks and I’m very tired. My wife was a wonderful person.’

A close friend of the couple, who did not want to be identified, confided to DailyMail.com: ‘Steve loved Debbie with all his heart. I know that for a fact.

“I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now, with the terrible loss of his wife and the fact that he has to be part of the murder investigation and everything that comes with it.

“I’ve known them both for many years and they were a devoted couple.”

In an immediate statement of support, he added: “I know the families of murder victims can be suspected, but I’ll bet my life Steve had nothing to do with Debbie’s disappearance.”

On September 10, Steve reported Debbie missing, claiming he hadn’t seen her at their home since 9:00 p.m. the previous night.

Neighbors heard fighting and screams coming from the house the night before she disappeared.

Police then tracked the car Debbie had driven—a rented SUV that was rented because her own vehicle was being repaired—to a wooded canyon 60 miles from her home. Her naked body was found there, charred and tied to a tree.

The exact cause of her death has not yet been confirmed.

When questioned, Bearden told police that she had last seen her mother the night before she disappeared, and that everything was normal. She received the Venmo message the day her mother was reported missing.

In an interview with CBS after her mother’s body was found, Amanda appeared shocked and struggled to speak.

‘My mother was my everything. Someone took my whole world from me. She was a beautiful, kind, giving woman. She didn’t deserve this,’ she said, hands and head trembling.

Police have not yet ruled out anyone as suspects.

Debbie had turned her car in for service and was driving a rented SUV when she died.

That car was equipped with a GPS tracking system that led police to her body after her husband reported her missing on September 10, 2022.

It was found 60 miles from the couple’s modest home, where they lived quietly.