ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The most graphic testimony so far in the trial of four people all charged in connection with the Dec. 2015 abduction and torture of two University of Rochester students was heard in court Thursday, as one of the students rescued from a house on Harvest Street took the witness stand.
Lydell Strickland, David Alcaraz-Ubiles, Ruth Lora and Inalia Rolldan all face charges ranging from kidnapping to weapons possession. Prosecutors call the case one of mistaken identity related to a drug robbery.
The witness said he and a friend, on Dec. 4, went to the house on Rochester's northeast side with two women they had just met.
He said once inside, the lights went out, and he was ambushed by up to 10 masked men. Hours of torture and beatings followed, with guns, knifes, bats and chainsaws. He said he was even ordered to remove shoes, and the webbing between his toes was cut with knives and pliers.
The witness went on to say he was sexually assaulted, and though his assailants were masked, that both men and women participated in the torture.
He said at one point, he was shot twice in each leg; one of the shots broke his femur in half. It was the same leg he recently had reconstructive surgery on.
Video taken of ordeal by one of the assailants was shown to the jury on Thursday.
The witness said his wallet was taken, and upon orders, he gave up PIN numbers and passwords. All told, he said $45,000 was taken from his accounts.
"I think I'll just simply let his testimony speak for itself," said Mark Schwartz, prosecutor. "The family, more specifically the victim, has gone through a great ordeal, not only last December but even in anticipation of this trial."
"It was certainly difficult to hear but, our client wasn't there," said Mike Ansaldi, Alcaraz-Ubiles' attorney. "The other people that were responsible for this, should be held accountable."
Ruth Lora's attorney said his client's only connection to the case was a romantic interest with one of the other suspects.
The attorney for Inalia Rolldan said his client was falsely accused and the lawyer for Lydell Strickland said the robbery that led to the kidnapping had nothing to do with his client.
Dennis Perez, Elliot Rivera and Jesus Castro-Ubiles, among five other suspects who already accepted plea deals in the case, were blamed in opening statements from defense attorneys as the main perpetrators. All three have pleaded guilty in exchange for 35-year prison sentences.
They also say Samantha Hughes and Leah Gigliotti, defense attorneys said, lured the victims to Harvest Street under false pretenses. Both accepted plea deals as well and will each serve 15 years in prison.
The trial is expected to last most of this month.