SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — At a news conference announcing his arrest Tuesday, Seneca Falls police said Donald Bovio, the man accused of severely beating his 3-year-old stepson, had an "extensive criminal history." 

Bovio along with his wife, Alison are charged with first degree assault. Police say the couple physically abused Alison's son to the point where the boy suffered a brain bleed. They claimed he fell down a flight of stairs, but police say that just isn't the case.

The boy is currently hospitalized in Syracuse and remains on life support. Doctors say there is no brain function.

Spectrum News learned from Massachusetts authorities about several previous cases in which Bovio was charged. 

In one particular case dating back to 2014, prosecutors charged Bovio with attempted murder after a woman claimed Bovio choked her to the point where she began to convulse. The victim told authorities Bovio then made her get a knife so he could carve a design on her stomach. The woman also said Bovio told her numerous times he was "crazy" and wanted to "kill her."

In the end, the district attorney's office in Essex County in Massachusetts says the attempted murder charge was dropped, Bovio pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to probation. 

Donald and Alison Bovio remain in the Seneca County Jail on $50,000 cash bail. Prosecutors say the charges could be upgraded.