BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston bar kidnapper Victor Peña has been found guilty on all charges in Suffolk Superior Court, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s spokesperson.
“Its just apparently obvious to this jury that Mr. Pena was guilty on all charges – plain and simple,” said Hayden.
As 7NEWS previously reported, during closing arguments, held Tuesday, the prosecution argued Peña acted “deliberately, predatory and violent.” Meanwhile, the defense said Peña is mentally unstable, and said if he is found not guilty, he would be put in a mental facility for a period of time, if not his entire life.
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.
The man was 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 in a surprise move.
Peña originally decided not to speak on his own behalf, but reversed course and testified on Monday, 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.
The final evidence shown to the jury during the trial were photographs showing Peña alongside the woman as she loses her footing. One image shows Peña carrying the woman, another holding her up.
The jury reached their deliberation quickly, having their guilty decision in just two hours.
Peña’s sentencing is scheduled for August 1.
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