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Thread: Francisco Cruz Pleads Guilty in 2010 PA Slaying of Chloe Ottman

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    Francisco Cruz Pleads Guilty in 2010 PA Slaying of Chloe Ottman

    19-Year-Old Tells Police He Raped, Stabbed Girl To Death At Holy Land



    Francisco Cruz told police that he had a crush on Chloe Ottman, but when she rejected his advances, he raped her, strangled her and stabbed her to death, according to court documents.

    Cruz, 19, faces charges including capital felony — which carries the possibility of the death penalty — in the slaying of Ottman,16.

    Cruz was arraigned Monday in Superior Court in Waterbury. His bail was kept at $5 million. Cruz was also charged with murder, first-degree sexual assault and second-degree strangulation.

    In a statement that accompanied the arrest warrant affidavit, Cruz explained in detail how he strangled, raped and stabbed Ottman to death.

    It is "the most chilling statement I've ever read," said a court official.

    Cruz, of 17 Hickory St. in Waterbury, told police that he and Ottman had been friends for about two years. Thursday evening, after meeting at the Brass Hill Mall, they decided to go to Holy Land USA — a decrepit religious theme park on a prominent hilltop in the city — and drink, according to the affidavit. It was 7 p.m. by the time they arrived.

    After drinking for a while, Cruz "made my move," he told police. Ottman rejected his advances, but he persisted, until she elbowed him in the face, the document states.

    "My glasses went flying off my face," he told police. "I got so mad at her. I hate when people hit me on the face. So after she hit me and as she tried to get up, I grabbed her and put her in a choke hold."

    Ottman started screaming, Cruz said, so he covered her mouth, but she screamed louder. Then, Cruz told police, he "pushed [his] thumbs into her throat until she stopped screaming." Ottman soon fell unconscious.

    Cruz checked to see that she still had a pulse, then he raped her, he told police.

    Then he strangled her again until he could feel no pulse, he told police. Then he took a folding knife from his pocket and repeatedly stabbed her in the neck and threw her body in the woods, he told them.

    Friends of the victim in court Monday said they trusted Cruz and that Cruz and Ottman had been friends for years.

    http://www.courant.com/community/waterbury/hc-holy-land-murder-0720-20100719,0,7044501.story

    State's Attorney Calls Suspect's Statement 'Chilling'

    The Waterbury state's attorney called the statements of Francisco Cruz, who is accused in the rape and death of a 16-year-old girl with whom he was friends, the "most chilling" statements from a suspect he has ever read.

    Cruz, 19, has been charged with capital felony murder, sexual assault and strangulation in connection with the death of Chloe Ottman.

    Ottman, who would have been a junior at Crosby High School this fall, was reported missing on Friday night. Her body was found Saturday in a wooded area of Holy Land USA, which was once a hot tourist spot and is home to a cross on a hill modeled after Bethlehem.

    Police said Ottman was last seen alive Thursday night with Cruz. They said Cruz and Ottman had been friends for the past two years.

    Police said that at first, Cruz denied knowing anything about Ottman's disappearance, but when he talked with officers again, he changed his story and explained every detail about how he and Ottman were drinking alcohol at Holy Land USA. Police said he then told how things escalated into rape and murder.

    Cruz faced a judge Monday in connection with Ottman's death.

    According to court documents, Cruz said, "I have always had a crush on Chloe, but she never gave me a shot."

    Police said Cruz confessed to grabbing Ottman's breast repeatedly. Cruz told police Ottman kept telling him she had a boyfriend. At one point, according to police, Cruz grabbed her in a headlock and she passed out. That's when police said he took off her clothes and began to rape the teen. In part of his statement, Cruz told police, "I was saying to myself that I am raping a girl. If I let her live, I'm going to jail for a long time. I gotta kill her."

    Police said Cruz choked the girl multiple times because she kept waking up. After having sex, police said Cruz stabbed her in the neck and tried to hide her body nearby.

    Friends and family mourned Ottman's death at a vigil in Waterbury Sunday evening.

    "She's just one of the closest friends I've ever had," said Ottman's friend, Alasia Costello. "It's clearly amazing, all these people here for her."

    Ottman's father said his daughter had hundreds of friends and that everyone loved her.

    Cruz appeared in Waterbury Superior Court late Monday morning. He faces the death penalty if convicted. His bond has been set at $5 million.

    Ottman's mother told Eyewitness News that the family is planning a service for the teen later this week.

    http://www.wfsb.com/news/24307972/detail.html

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    Uncle of murdered Waterbury girl speaks out

    “My beautiful niece, I'll never see her again.”


    The family of 16-year-old murder victim Chloe Ottman speaks out.

    Francisco Cruz, the 19-year-old man who confessed to her sexual assault and murder at an old Waterbury religious attraction known as Holy Land USA, remains incarcerated on $5 million bond.

    “My beautiful niece, I'll never see her again.”

    Matt Dwyer is Chloe's uncle. He is representing his family while they try to cope with their profound loss.

    “She was taken from my family and no words can express the pain we are feeling right now.”

    It is difficult now for the family to understand why this happened. They say they are dealing with a feeling of unexplainable guilt.

    “The only thing keeping us going now is staying busy and just showing our love and support,” Matt Dwyer said. “We weren't there for her when this happened and we have to live with that.”

    Matt Dwyer: “I beg you, I beg the community, I beg the court system, please help us demand justice.”
    News 8: “Does your family want the prosecution to seek the death penalty?”
    Matt Dwyer: “My family wants to seek the fullest extent of prosecution in the state of Connecticut.”

    Ottman family members say they will monitor the legal proceedings and at the end of it, the family will make an appearance in full for force.

    “I know that you're feeling bad, but the worst thing to do is to act out, especially when you're angry,” said Pastor Freddie Jones. “You need to go home and talk to each other and let each other and say this will never happen again.”

    Meantime, Waterbury police are patrolling the area, which includes Holy Land, on a daily basis. They'd like to find ways to discourage teenage trespassers

    http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/crime/uncle-of-murdered-waterbury-girl-speaks-out

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    UPDATE:

    55 year sentence for killing of teen at Waterbury's 'Holy Land'
    Updated: Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 8:13 PM EDT
    Published : Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 7:05 AM EDT

    WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH/AP) - A 20-year-old Waterbury man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for killing a teenage girl at a former religious attraction near a 50-foot cross that serves as a city landmark.

    Francisco Cruz said nothing in court Friday as he was sentenced for the murder of 16-year-old Chloe Ottman at Holy Land USA last July 15.

    The sentence was part of a plea deal. The judge told Cruz the place he will wake is the place he will die.

    The teen's father, Derek Ottman, was in court for the sentencing. He brought a father's day card from Chloe to court.

    "It is what it is, no number or amount of years makes me happy. Nothing makes me happy about the situation, but um, it's over and it's done with," says Derek Ottman.

    Although it is common that guilty parties will say something to family members during sentencing, Cruz said nothing, head bowed much of the time as Judge Richard Damiani called the crime "horrific...sadistic." While an apology would have been appreciated by Chloe's father, he didn't expect much from a man who doesn't respect life.

    "If he ever does do that, it's kind of worthless if it's not genuine and heartfelt. And still, it doesn't bring her back. It only is what it is, an apology, obviously that should happen, I don't know if it ever will. If it does, that's that," says Ottman.

    Cruz confessed to raping, choking, and fatally stabbing the girl when she rejected his advances as they drank at the abandoned 18-acre site on a hillside overlooking Waterbury.

    Ottman's body was discovered two days later, a day after her parents reported her missing.



    Man pleads guilty to murder in connection to Holy Land slaying

    WATERBURY – A 20-year-old city man pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday in connection to the horrific slaying and rape of a teenager in Holy Land last year.

    Francisco Cruz uttered a “guilty” plea to a count of murder during a brief tearful, hearing in Waterbury Superior Court. Cruz had faced the death penalty in connection to the murder of Chloe Ottman who was 16 at the time of her death.

    Cruz will likely receive a 55-year prison sentence when he’s sentenced in June.

    Cruz, who faced the death penalty, accepted the plea deal Wednesday after the offer had been made to him several months ago.

    http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2011/...3932537803.txt

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