41-year-old Isidro Garcia pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl and holding her captive for 10 years, raping her, and forcing her to marry him and have his child.
Garcia had been dating the girl’s mother when he abducted her. He drugged her, and took her from her mother’s home in Santa Ana in 2004. He threatened to have her deported if she tried to escape. In 2007, he forced her to marry him and have a child, who is now 3 years old.
Garcia’s accuser, who has not been publicly identified, told investigators that Garcia abused her both physically and sexually for 10 years. She finally escaped after reaching out to her sister.
Defense lawyer Charles Frisco Jr argued that Garcia and his accuser were a couple, and that she was only making these accusations because the couple was separating. Reuters reports that Frisco asked in court, “Why is it that one person hasn’t come forward to corroborate her story?”
At the time Garcia was charged, neighbor Ricardo Ledesma told The LA Times that the two appeared to be a perfect couple. He said, “I never saw him hit her or any signs of abuse.”
Garcia, himself, said little before an Orange County Superior Court judge in Santa Ana on Monday, except that he understood the proceedings and was in full agreement with his attorney.