BOSTON (WHDH) - The man accused of kidnapping a woman outside of a Boston bar in 2019 and holding her captive for three days took the stand in his own trial on Monday.
Victor Peña originally decided not to speak on his own behalf, but reversed course and gave testimony after all, delaying the final phase of the trial.
The 42-year-old’s appearance surprised those who thought closing arguments were on the day’s docket. Peña, who is facing ten counts of aggravated rape and one count of kidnapping, could be seen carrying two bibles while taking the stand in Suffolk Superior Court.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m only getting to know you’ but she wants to kiss me,” Peña said through an interpreter. “But I did not want to have relations with (her).”
Peña decided to reverse course after the defense rested on Friday, giving testimony in the long-delayed trial that followed his arrest in 2019, when prosecutors said he kidnapped a woman outside a Boston bar and sexually assaulted her over a three-day period before police arrested him at his Charlestown apartment.
He told jurors officers beat him up after they located him with the victim, lifting his shirt to show jurors his ribs, which he said were broken by police.
Jurors heard from the victim when she took the stand last week, telling the court how Peña threatened to kill her if she did not listen to him while she was trapped at his apartment.
On Monday, Prosecutors opted not to cross examine Peña and instead called in a forensic psychologist who testified how the accused did not appear to suffer from any psychotic disorder.
“He did not meet criteria based on everything that I saw and reviewed for an underlying psychotic or mood disorder,” said Dr. John Young.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, after which the jury will begin deliberations.
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