Suspected kidnapper ‘sobs in court’, claims he ‘hears voices’ : Police

A mental evaluation was ordered for the man accused of kidnapping a woman outside a Boston bar Saturday to determine whether he’s mentally competent for arraignment.

A report obtained by WCRB stated that Victor Peña, 38, opened his Charleston apartment door Tuesday afternoon for police who’d been knocking on it for 20 minutes and were in the process of dismantling the locks. Once opened, officers found missing woman Olivia Ambrose, 23, “crying with a horrified look on her face” standing next to Peña, who “refused to comply and resisted violently,” according to the report.

A psychologist told the court that Peña claimed he was hearing voices and was confused as to why he was being arrested. She also claimed he exhibited some psychotic symptoms, but noted that those can be exaggerated during an evaluation, MassLive reported.

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Peña’s apartment is located approximately two miles away from the Boston pub Ambrose was last seen at on Saturday night. His apartment was also near Walford Way and Corey Street in Charleston, where Ambrose’s iPhone 8 was pinged before she was found alive.

Before locating Ambrose, police said she regained access to her phone and used it to text her mother.

Ambrose reportedly vanished while at Hennessy’s with her twin sister and their group of friends. Police said surveillance cameras caught her outside with a man who’d been ousted from the bar before they left together at 11:05 p.m. Since then, police said that man wasn’t involved in Ambrose’s kidnapping.

On Tuesday, police released photos taken near State Street MBTA station which apparently showed Peña putting his arm around Ambrose while a second man walks ahead. Boston police said Wednesday that the second man turned himself in and is now considered a witness in their investigation, according to WFXT.

Sources told the news station that Peña was arrested in June at a Rhode Island casino for obtaining money under false pretenses and cheating. Moreover, WCVB reported that he was accused of stalking two women in 2009 and was charged with violating a restraining order in 2008 and 2013. Both of the restraining order violations were dismissed.

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[Featured Image: Victor Peña/Facebook; Olivia Ambrose/Boston Police Department]