GUILTY AZ - Fernando & Sophia Richter for imprisoning 3 daughters, Tucson, 2013

[Reader]

Police review journal of Arizona teen held captive

http://www.centurylink.net/news/rea...p-police_review_journal_of_arizona_teen_he-ap

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Police were poring over a journal they say a 17-year-old girl kept while she and her two younger sisters were imprisoned by their mother and stepfather for up to two years.

Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said investigators were combing through the diary Wednesday for evidence as they build a criminal case against the 32-year-old mother and 34-year-old stepfather......

"It did contain a lot of information that I feel will be useful in helping us to determine the method and length of the imprisonment," Villasenor said.......

The girls' accounts of being held in captivity were consistent, Villasenor said. They are now together at a group home in the custody of a state child welfare agency.......

[maternal aunt] Bueno, 34, said the stepfather was mentally abusive toward his wife.

"She always talked him up, 'Oh well he pays for all my kids' clothes and he takes them here and he takes them to eat and do this' — and all that time being locked up in a room," Bueno, of Tucson, told The Associated Press. "And he hasn't done nothing she said. She has just been lying."......

There were locks on the girls' bedroom doors, the police chief said, but another method, which he declined to reveal, was used to keep the girls from escaping.......

More in 3p. article....

 

[Dr. Know?]

This statement stood out as I hadn't noticed it in earlier reports. (similar to Reader's post)

Tucson 'Captives Tortured With Loud Music'

Locks on the girls' bedroom doors kept them from escaping, Mr Villasenor said, adding another method was also used but declined to say what it was.

more

http://news.sky.com/story/1174812/tucson-captives-tortured-with-loud-music

 

[Dr. Know?]

I watched a small clip on the news about the previous house the girls lived in. This is the one in Catalina, AZ. I didn't know all of this about the house though. (notice the door handle on the one bedroom door, it locks from the outside with a key)

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/24089251/inside-child-abuse-suspects-former-home

 

[pieper4]

I knew I saw footage of window alarms (I actually watched the news that day of your link Dr. Know. Rare!)... so those were in the Catalina house.
Locksets are so incredibly simple to reverse or replace. I suppose step-Dad probably just left them as they were and added an exterior lock in the Estrella house.

 

[Frigga]

There is a special place in hell for people like this. I want the mother equally charged. These stories make my blood boil. When I tell people close to me about stories like this they can barely stand to listen. This is a problem- people need to hear and realize what goes on. We have to stop turning a blind eye as a society because it is too painful. These young girls lived this, I feel we must bear witness. Sigh.

 

[Karmady]

I wonder how the girl got away with keeping a journal under all that surveillance!

 

[tlcya]

I wonder how the girl got away with keeping a journal under all that surveillance!

Unless the parents didn't see it as a threat? After all, the journal was "secured" in the same room she was and that seemed to work out for approximately 2 years.

 

[Karmady]

Unless the parents didn't see it as a threat? After all, the journal was "secured" in the same room she was and that seemed to work out for approximately 2 years.

yeah, but they don't seem like the kind of people who would want them to have an "outlet." Kwim? If they turned the loud music to static if the girls seemed to enjoy it and such. Idk, just a random thought.

 

[tlcya]

The journal was said to be in a bag that the 17 year old made sure she carried out with her once LE arrived and took charge. Seems like she wanted to make sure the bag and its contents went with her.

They can't have been up 2/7 36 monitoring the girls, so maybe she had gauged their sleep/wake schedule and journalled in secret or while in the closet where the parents thought she was relieving herself.

I imagine more detail will come out and it may answer some of these questions.

I am still puzzling over the other methods used to keep the girls in their rooms.

 

[pieper4]

I wonder how the girl got away with keeping a journal under all that surveillance!

Depending on the camera, there was probably a spot in the rooms that weren't videoed. Like right below it.

 

[Karmady]

Depending on the camera, there was probably a spot in the rooms that weren't videoed. Like right below it.

I thought of that. But wouldn't they be wanting to know where all three of them were at all times? I also wonder whether they reviewed video and also whether they tossed the room once in a while or frequently. If I was one of those children I would have assumed they did, so that would be a big risk. jmo

 

[Tawny]

Maybe they knew about the journal and didn't factor in them ever being discovered, so they didn't care that she kept it.

 

[tlcya]

each possibility as good as the next for me.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I'm sure these two miscreants have lots of folks waiting to "greet" them in their new living arrangement. Karmas a "b".

 

[deoneta]

There is a special place in hell for people like this. I want the mother equally charged. These stories make my blood boil. When I tell people close to me about stories like this they can barely stand to listen. This is a problem- people need to hear and realize what goes on. We have to stop turning a blind eye as a society because it is too painful. These young girls lived this, I feel we must bear witness. Sigh.

I agree with all the above. How long before the mother comes up with the abuse excuse and paints herself as a helpless, terrified victim despite having stood by her husband and continued to lie after the arrests? I do have sympathy for women who are victims of domestic violence and understand that there is often an element of brainwashing involved, but all this terror didn't just happen in a day. If the mother is cagey enough to minimize the children's suffering and try to lie her way out of it with the police, she had wit enough to alert authorities or turn to relatives somewhere along the way.

 

[Reader]

The journal was said to be in a bag that the 17 year old made sure she carried out with her once LE arrived and took charge. Seems like she wanted to make sure the bag and its contents went with her.

They can't have been up 2/7 36 monitoring the girls, so maybe she had gauged their sleep/wake schedule and journalled in secret or while in the closet where the parents thought she was relieving herself.

I imagine more detail will come out and it may answer some of these questions.

I am still puzzling over the other methods used to keep the girls in their rooms.

BBM - Been thinking about those 'methods' too. Two things came to mind: he may have put some type of shock mechanism on the door, and/or made threats of killing them if they got out, or tried too. He did come in with a knife at the end. Had he gotten so paranoid about them getting away that he was ready to kill everyone? So fortunate the girls got out when they did. I think worse was to come and we may have ended up not even knowing they were missing since no one knew they were even in the house and the mother was already lying to protect him.

I'm really hoping that after hearing of all the evidence being gathered, these 2 monsters will plead guilty so the girls do not have to go through a trial.

 

[Dr. Know?]

Just saw this on twitter.

Oralia Ortega ‏@oraliaortega 18m
Talking to @Tucson_Police Chief about captive girls investigation. Tune in to @12News at 5 & 6 for the latest.

12News is AZcentral. This link might work. It will start in about 40 minutes. I believe they live stream on their site.

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/

https://twitter.com/oraliaortega

 

[Dr. Know?]

I was interupted by a phone call and only heard the tail end which wasn't new information. It's coming up at 6 and saw this twtter from another AZ Central reporter.


Lin Sue Cooney ‏@lcooney12news 44m
Live interview with defense attorney Mike Black at 6 about Tucson House of Horrors. Can these sisters can avoid facing parents in court?

https://twitter.com/lcooney12news

Live link

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/

 

[maureen718]

thanks for the info again Dr. Know

 

[Dr. Know?]

Not much other than that journal will nail the mom & stepdad. Nice to have an eta of when there are more details. I want to know how the girls are. I hope they get a home together one day.


Tucson Police expect to wrap up investigation in captive girls case by next week

Investigators re-interviewing family and neighbors. video only right now.

http://www.azcentral.com/video/#/Ne...xt+week/40280768001/35150280001/2887246897001