A Massachusetts man who allegedly held a woman captive for three days in January was accused in court of repeatedly sexually assaulting and threatening her before police rescued her.
According to MassLive.com, Victor Peña, 38, is being held without bail on one count of kidnapping and 10 counts of aggravated rape stemming from the January 19 abduction of a 23-year-old woman who was out with friends at a Boston bar at the time. Phone tracking and surveillance cameras at a nearby rail station reportedly led authorities to Peña’s Charlestown apartment three days later.
Police alleged the woman, whose name won’t be disclosed due to the nature of the crimes, was heavily intoxicated and had recalled waking up on a bare mattress in Peña’s apartment.
“When she tried to get dressed and leave, Peña physically stopped her, told her to be quiet and threatened several times to kill her,” court documents stated, according to WFXT. “He said he rescued her on the street, he loved her and they were going to start a family.”
Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Ian Polumbaum said Wednesday the woman and a male friend were ousted from a bar. The man ultimately linked up with friends, leaving the intoxicated woman to walk “alone in the snow” before encountering Peña, he said.
Referring to surveillance footage shot at State Street MBTA station, Polumbaum said, “From a distance, it might have looked like they were walking arm and arm…But up close on video that was discovered, it was obvious she was out of it and unable to walk on her own.”
Authorities have accused Peña of repeatedly sexually assaulting the victim during the three-day ordeal. He allegedly kept her drunk, fed her canned pineapples, and forced her to take pictures of them together and read from a Spanish Bible.
The woman reportedly claimed she tried to escape but found another deadbolt on the apartment door. Instead, she submitted to the sexual assaults and offered to clean the residence to appease Peña, WFXT reported.
The victim’s twin sister and friends used the “Find My Friends” phone application to locate the woman’s phone. The information led police to the Charleston apartment that was reportedly being secured by an illegal deadbolt lock. Peña reportedly opened the door as a locksmith was drilling the lock.
Peña’s lawyer and family claimed the 38-year-old suffers from mental illness. WYCN reported that his lawyer, William Barabino, said they’re in the process of getting him evaluated.
“My brother is slow,” Jose Peña said of Victor in January. “He’s 38 but mentally he’s 17, 18, so he’s like a teenager.”
[Featured image: Victor Peña/Rhode Island State Police]
