Kidnap Suspect Arraigned
June 11, 2003 -- — The man accused of snatching a 9-year-old California girl during an abduction caught on videotape was arraigned today on kidnapping and sexual assault charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
The suspect, Enrique Sosa Alvarez, who is also known as David Montiel Cruz, was appointed a public defender during his brief appearance in Santa Clara Superior Court today, but he did not make a plea to the multiple charges against him.
Alvarez, 24, faces nine counts of kidnapping, sexual assault, burglary, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted of all the charges, he could face 115 years to life in prison.
The girl was abducted last Friday after she returned to her San Jose home from school. Video from a neighbor's surveillance camera showed the abductor had been lying in wait for nearly two hours.
The kidnapper entered the home, beat the girl's mother and her 15-year-old brother, and took off with the child, police said. Both the mother and brother were severely injured in the struggle.
On Sunday night, the kidnapper released the girl, dropping her off in front of a liquor store. Members of the girl's family told the San Jose Mercury News that she was able to convince Alvarez that she was seriously ill, and that helped win her freedom. The girl walked into a convenience store and told the owner she needed help.
Alvarez was arrested in a predawn raid Monday at the home of a friend — less than a mile from the victim's home.
A Plea for Privacy
Authorities have said the girl's recollection of various details — such as the number of the house where she was held and that the suspect ordered a pepperoni pizza from Little Caesar's — helped lead to Alvarez's arrest.
Following Alvarez's court appearance, Deputy District Attorney Matt Braker said that contrary to a report in the Mercury News, the girl's alleged abductor did not keep her in a small cardboard box. However, she was tied up inside her own home at the time of her abduction and put in the back of his car.
"The defendant sexually assaulted her inside her home, tied her up and put her in the back of his vehicle," Braker said. "Before leaving the home, the victim's mother and brother arrived. The defendant attacked each of them, using a metal pan against the mother."
On behalf of the family, Braker asked various members of the media to give the girl and her family privacy.
"We are asking that those news organizations that are camped outside their home and following the family's every move to please leave and give this little girl and her family time to recover," he said.
Perhaps Not a Random Act
There is some confusion about Alvarez's real name. He gave his name as Cruz when he was arrested, but when police ran his fingerprints the name they found was Alvarez, and that was the name they used when he was booked into jail. Police were also checking on other possible aliases he could have used.
Police said Alvarez may have seen the victim before, when she played with his girlfriend's twin 11-year-old daughters, perhaps even at the house where she was allegedly held. Authorities are trying to learn more about Alvarez and determine what contact he had with other children. They have saidhe was previously convicted of auto theft, but he doesn't appear to have any sex-related crimes on his record.