Utah ‘millionaire’ accused of holding woman hostage and carving eerie message into her hand
A Utah man has been arrested for kidnapping, holding a woman captive and assault after he was accused of keeping her for several weeks at his home and “carving” a number six on her left hand to signify she had six months to “love him or be killed”.
Ramone Marcio Martinez, 39, was arrested and charged in Salt Lake County on Wednesday for aggravated kidnapping and five counts of aggravated assault, according to a police booking affidavit cited by local news network KSL 5 TV.
The suspect identified himself as a millionaire to the authorities, according to the affidavit.
The woman had managed to send a text message to her friend that she had been kidnapped, police said.
“The victim had texted him begging for help and that she was scared for her life,” it said.
Mr Martinez was arrested after police reached his house.
Mr Martinez opened the door and “had his hand in his hoodie pocket and I could see the outline of a handgun which he was holding onto,” wrote a police official in the affidavit.
“I ordered him to put his hands in the air and he complied,” it added.
Officers found the woman, who said she had been tortured and assaulted for several weeks, it said.
The woman said she was assaulted six times on Tuesday alone.
The woman “had heavy bruising around both eyes and she stated her ribs were hurting and that she had difficulty breathing,” the affidavit noted.
“She stated that over a period of several weeks she was threatened to be killed and was assaulted. During this time she was unable to leave or go anywhere freely.”
Mr Martinez allegedly warned the woman that she had six months to love him or die.
“At another point in time [he] grabbed the victim and held a knife to her throat. Again at another point in time, [Martinez] grabbed a knife and carved the number ‘6’ into the victim’s left hand stating that she had six months to love him or be killed. And lastly, at some point during the day, the victim stated [Mr Martinez] grabbed a gun and pointed it at her head,” the affidavit said.
Mr Martinez, who “stated he was a millionaire”, had many firearms at his house, it noted.
“[He] also threatened to go to Mexico and chop up the victim’s brother as well as attack the woman’s mother,” the affidavit said.
Police said Mr Martinez declined to answer their questions after he was detained, but “uttered that he did strangle the victim but that it was during consensual sex,” reported Fox13 Salt Lake City.
Police have requested for Mr Martinez to be held in jail without bond citing flight risk.
