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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