I want people to stop saying, "If he really beat her that bad, then the DA wouldn't have kicked back the case."

Bad News Brown is currently under investigation for making criminal threats, i.e. threatening to kill Rihanna. The reason why it's criminal threats versus domestic battery is because the latter charge doesn't carry as severe a penalty as the other. And even if it didn't "beat her that bad," the fact that you have to toss in the words "that bad" suggests it's bad no matter how you flip it.

He hit her. He left her. I don't really care if I don't know everything. I've never pretended to be in the car with them filming anyway. But I've read enough to know he hit her and he left. And call it a hunch, but in domestic abuse cases, it's usually not the first time -- especially if you're knocking someone down in a car and leaving them on the side of the road.

FYI:

Sources say the Los Angeles County District Attorney kicked the case back to the police for further investigation because evidence that he made criminal threats against Rihanna is kind of thin. Our sources are quick to say he will, however, almost certainly be charged with felony domestic battery, a lesser offense but still serious.

Here's how it went down, according to the police report. After Chris received a text message from a woman who wrote about getting together, an argument erupted. By the way, initially, Rihanna would not tell cops what started the argument.

She did, however, tell them that during the argument, he started hitting her. According to the police report, she ordered him to drive her home and "faked a call" to someone, saying things like, "He's dropping me off. Make sure the cops are there."

Rihanna told cops the fake call enraged Brown. He said something to the effect of "You are really fu**ed up now. I'm going to kill you." This statement is the basis of the criminal threats charge.

At that point, according to the report, Brown allegedly began a violent attack with his fists. At some point, Rihanna took the keys out of the ignition and threw them outside.

And there's this. According to the police report, she told cops this was not the first time Brown hit her. She referred to it as an ongoing and escalating abusive relationship.

Now for that "not so bad part:"

Given the brutal nature of the attack, which the photos clearly show -- contusions on the face, swollen eyes, cut lip, bloody nose, bite marks on fingers and arm -- a felony domestic battery charge is virtually a done deal. That, however, is a less serious offense than making criminal threats.

In short, they know he hit her, they're just not sure if they can prove he really meant he'll kill her. It has nothing to do with the severity of the abuse; it's the intent of his threats. It's only a matter of time before the police report hits The Smoking Gun.

I have very low tolerance for domestic violence, so while I do think it's wrong for the media to act as if Chris Brown beat her to a bloody pulp, then the ER had to come down and resuscitate her on sight and bring in a pastor to beg God to please keep her on Earth until she finishes her fourth album, insinuating that things aren't as bad as they seem lacks the same amount of credibility as these purported exaggerations.

He hasn't been charged yet, so you're innocent until proven guilty (in theory anyway), but I'm inclined to think less people would be so willing to defend him (or "not defend him but..." as some would call it) if he weren't a pretty boy pop star with hits under his belt.