BOSTON (WHDH) - A Charlestown man charged with kidnapping and holding a 23-year-old woman captive in his apartment for days pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 10 counts of aggravated rape.
Victor M. Pena, 38, appeared in Suffolk Superior Court for a brief hearing during which he wore headphones that provided a Spanish translation as prosecutors revealed new details in the case.
Pena is accused of kidnapping the victim on Jan. 19 outside Hennessy’s bar, taking her back to his apartment at the Bunker Hill housing complex, and repeatedly sexually assaulting her. She was found locked in the home on Jan. 22 after an extensive search conducted by Boston and transit police, officials said.
Prosecutors say Pena threatened to kill the victim when she tried to get dressed and even installed a deadbolt on the door to prevent her from leaving. He allegedly told the victim that he had “rescued” her on the street, that he “loved” her, and that they were going to “start a family.”
Pena is also accused of plying the victim with alcohol to keep her from becoming aware of what was happening. He also is said to have taken selfies with her.
“He fed her only canned pineapple,” Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Ian Polumbaum told the court. “He made her drink vodka and Jack Daniel’s even though she said the wheat in the whiskey would make her sick.”
Polumbaum also explained that Pena forced the victim to “read the Bible out loud in Spanish.”
When law enforcement arrived at Pena’s apartment, he told the victim to “get dressed, gave her phone back and told her to tell someone she was OK,” court documents indicate.
Pena’s attorney, William Barabino, told reporters that his client left the bar with the victim “without force.”
“They went from the bar together without force and they went to his house for a period of two days,” he said. “The police came and they were drilling the door. He simply voluntarily opened it.”
Before a judge ordered him held without bail, Pena could be seen making the sign of the cross.
He is due back in court on April 10 for a dangerousness hearing.
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