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Teen’s shocking ‘torture chamber’ ordeal

From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday.
From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday. Christine Peterson - Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP

A MISSING teenage girl who was found in the basement of a Massachusetts home told police she was held against her will, raped several times, had her hair shaved off and burned with a cigarette, a US court has heard.

Auburn police officer George Vranos said the 16-year-old, believed to be a runaway, was found on December 27 inside a room that he described as a "torture chamber".

He said she was crying when they discovered her.

"She was looking at the floor whimpering," Vranos testified during a hearing at Worcester Central District Court, according to Fox News.

And after seeing a bag of hair near her, police asked her to remove a knit hat she was wearing, and saw her head had been shaved.

"Her hair was in a Christmas bag," said Auburn Detective Eric Dyson, reported the Boston Herald

Around the teen, officers also found cigarettes, duct tape with hair, an iron and a pot of water.

Krystal Lugo, 23, of Webster, is charged with kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and larceny under $250; Christopher Lugo, 19, is charged with kidnapping, rape and drugging to confine; Yariel Torres-Abee, 22, of Southbridge, is charged with kidnapping and assault and battery; and Yulent Ortiz, 19, of Auburn, is charged with kidnapping.

According to prosecutors, the teenager was picked up in nearby Leominster on Christmas Day and taken to Auburn by Krystal Lugo and Ortiz, where she stayed for two days.

The teenager told police she was given a marijuana cigarette laced with the tranquilliser Xanax and was then sexually assaulted several times by different people. Police said they found several used condoms in various areas of the house.

However, it seems that an alleged home invasion the morning of December 27 is what triggered the four to hold the teenager in the "torture chamber", prosecutors said.

Two armed men allegedly rushed into the Auburn home at around 6am that morning, demanding marijuana, pistol whipping Christopher Lugo and firing two shots into the ceiling, police said.

Krystal Lugo, the mother of an 18-month-old child, allegedly accused the victim of working with the two men. She allegedly took the victim outside without shoes on to fight with her; it only ended after Christopher Lugo warned that neighbours were watching.

She "turned on the victim, blaming her for setting them up, for orchestrating the home invasion," District Attorney Tara Nechev said, according to The Boston Herald.

It was then that she was allegedly taken to the basement and tied to a chair with duct tape. The assailants allegedly placed a machete at her throat while she was interrogated about the people involved in the home invasion.

The home invasion is still under investigation.

Krystal Lugo, who shook her head in denial as prosecutors discussed the allegations during Wednesday's hearing, has a long history with police. Officers had been called to the Auburn location 144 times since 2003, prosecutors said.

She was held without bail, despite her lawyer arguing she was not a danger. She's set to return to court on January 31.

The hearings for three male defendants was set to continue until Friday.


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A MISSING teenage girl who was found in the basement of a Massachusetts home told police she was held against her will, raped several times, had her hair shaved off and burned with a cigarette, a US court has heard.

Auburn police officer George Vranos said the 16-year-old, believed to be a runaway, was found on December 27 inside a room that he described as a "torture chamber".

He said she was crying when they discovered her.

"She was looking at the floor whimpering," Vranos testified during a hearing at Worcester Central District Court, according to Fox News.

And after seeing a bag of hair near her, police asked her to remove a knit hat she was wearing, and saw her head had been shaved.

"Her hair was in a Christmas bag," said Auburn Detective Eric Dyson, reported the Boston Herald

Around the teen, officers also found cigarettes, duct tape with hair, an iron and a pot of water.

Krystal Lugo, 23, of Webster, is charged with kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and larceny under $250; Christopher Lugo, 19, is charged with kidnapping, rape and drugging to confine; Yariel Torres-Abee, 22, of Southbridge, is charged with kidnapping and assault and battery; and Yulent Ortiz, 19, of Auburn, is charged with kidnapping.

According to prosecutors, the teenager was picked up in nearby Leominster on Christmas Day and taken to Auburn by Krystal Lugo and Ortiz, where she stayed for two days.

The teenager told police she was given a marijuana cigarette laced with the tranquilliser Xanax and was then sexually assaulted several times by different people. Police said they found several used condoms in various areas of the house.

However, it seems that an alleged home invasion the morning of December 27 is what triggered the four to hold the teenager in the "torture chamber", prosecutors said.

Two armed men allegedly rushed into the Auburn home at around 6am that morning, demanding marijuana, pistol whipping Christopher Lugo and firing two shots into the ceiling, police said.

Krystal Lugo, the mother of an 18-month-old child, allegedly accused the victim of working with the two men. She allegedly took the victim outside without shoes on to fight with her; it only ended after Christopher Lugo warned that neighbours were watching.

She "turned on the victim, blaming her for setting them up, for orchestrating the home invasion," District Attorney Tara Nechev said, according to The Boston Herald.

It was then that she was allegedly taken to the basement and tied to a chair with duct tape. The assailants allegedly placed a machete at her throat while she was interrogated about the people involved in the home invasion.

The home invasion is still under investigation.

Krystal Lugo, who shook her head in denial as prosecutors discussed the allegations during Wednesday's hearing, has a long history with police. Officers had been called to the Auburn location 144 times since 2003, prosecutors said.

She was held without bail, despite her lawyer arguing she was not a danger. She's set to return to court on January 31.

The hearings for three male defendants was set to continue until Friday.

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Teen’s shocking ‘torture chamber’ ordeal | Ballina Shire Advocate
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Teen’s shocking ‘torture chamber’ ordeal

From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday.
From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday. Christine Peterson - Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP

A MISSING teenage girl who was found in the basement of a Massachusetts home told police she was held against her will, raped several times, had her hair shaved off and burned with a cigarette, a US court has heard.

Auburn police officer George Vranos said the 16-year-old, believed to be a runaway, was found on December 27 inside a room that he described as a "torture chamber".

He said she was crying when they discovered her.

"She was looking at the floor whimpering," Vranos testified during a hearing at Worcester Central District Court, according to Fox News.

And after seeing a bag of hair near her, police asked her to remove a knit hat she was wearing, and saw her head had been shaved.

"Her hair was in a Christmas bag," said Auburn Detective Eric Dyson, reported the Boston Herald

Around the teen, officers also found cigarettes, duct tape with hair, an iron and a pot of water.

Krystal Lugo, 23, of Webster, is charged with kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and larceny under $250; Christopher Lugo, 19, is charged with kidnapping, rape and drugging to confine; Yariel Torres-Abee, 22, of Southbridge, is charged with kidnapping and assault and battery; and Yulent Ortiz, 19, of Auburn, is charged with kidnapping.

According to prosecutors, the teenager was picked up in nearby Leominster on Christmas Day and taken to Auburn by Krystal Lugo and Ortiz, where she stayed for two days.

The teenager told police she was given a marijuana cigarette laced with the tranquilliser Xanax and was then sexually assaulted several times by different people. Police said they found several used condoms in various areas of the house.

However, it seems that an alleged home invasion the morning of December 27 is what triggered the four to hold the teenager in the "torture chamber", prosecutors said.

Two armed men allegedly rushed into the Auburn home at around 6am that morning, demanding marijuana, pistol whipping Christopher Lugo and firing two shots into the ceiling, police said.

Krystal Lugo, the mother of an 18-month-old child, allegedly accused the victim of working with the two men. She allegedly took the victim outside without shoes on to fight with her; it only ended after Christopher Lugo warned that neighbours were watching.

She "turned on the victim, blaming her for setting them up, for orchestrating the home invasion," District Attorney Tara Nechev said, according to The Boston Herald.

It was then that she was allegedly taken to the basement and tied to a chair with duct tape. The assailants allegedly placed a machete at her throat while she was interrogated about the people involved in the home invasion.

The home invasion is still under investigation.

Krystal Lugo, who shook her head in denial as prosecutors discussed the allegations during Wednesday's hearing, has a long history with police. Officers had been called to the Auburn location 144 times since 2003, prosecutors said.

She was held without bail, despite her lawyer arguing she was not a danger. She's set to return to court on January 31.

The hearings for three male defendants was set to continue until Friday.


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Teen’s shocking ‘torture chamber’ ordeal | Ballina Shire Advocate
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Teen’s shocking ‘torture chamber’ ordeal

From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday.
From the left; Yuleny Ortiz, Yariel Torres-Abee, Krystal Lugo, and Christopher Lugo. Defendant Krystal Lugo was held without bail. The hearings for three male defendants will continue until Friday. Christine Peterson - Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP

A MISSING teenage girl who was found in the basement of a Massachusetts home told police she was held against her will, raped several times, had her hair shaved off and burned with a cigarette, a US court has heard.

Auburn police officer George Vranos said the 16-year-old, believed to be a runaway, was found on December 27 inside a room that he described as a "torture chamber".

He said she was crying when they discovered her.

"She was looking at the floor whimpering," Vranos testified during a hearing at Worcester Central District Court, according to Fox News.

And after seeing a bag of hair near her, police asked her to remove a knit hat she was wearing, and saw her head had been shaved.

"Her hair was in a Christmas bag," said Auburn Detective Eric Dyson, reported the Boston Herald

Around the teen, officers also found cigarettes, duct tape with hair, an iron and a pot of water.

Krystal Lugo, 23, of Webster, is charged with kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and larceny under $250; Christopher Lugo, 19, is charged with kidnapping, rape and drugging to confine; Yariel Torres-Abee, 22, of Southbridge, is charged with kidnapping and assault and battery; and Yulent Ortiz, 19, of Auburn, is charged with kidnapping.

According to prosecutors, the teenager was picked up in nearby Leominster on Christmas Day and taken to Auburn by Krystal Lugo and Ortiz, where she stayed for two days.

The teenager told police she was given a marijuana cigarette laced with the tranquilliser Xanax and was then sexually assaulted several times by different people. Police said they found several used condoms in various areas of the house.

However, it seems that an alleged home invasion the morning of December 27 is what triggered the four to hold the teenager in the "torture chamber", prosecutors said.

Two armed men allegedly rushed into the Auburn home at around 6am that morning, demanding marijuana, pistol whipping Christopher Lugo and firing two shots into the ceiling, police said.

Krystal Lugo, the mother of an 18-month-old child, allegedly accused the victim of working with the two men. She allegedly took the victim outside without shoes on to fight with her; it only ended after Christopher Lugo warned that neighbours were watching.

She "turned on the victim, blaming her for setting them up, for orchestrating the home invasion," District Attorney Tara Nechev said, according to The Boston Herald.

It was then that she was allegedly taken to the basement and tied to a chair with duct tape. The assailants allegedly placed a machete at her throat while she was interrogated about the people involved in the home invasion.

The home invasion is still under investigation.

Krystal Lugo, who shook her head in denial as prosecutors discussed the allegations during Wednesday's hearing, has a long history with police. Officers had been called to the Auburn location 144 times since 2003, prosecutors said.

She was held without bail, despite her lawyer arguing she was not a danger. She's set to return to court on January 31.

The hearings for three male defendants was set to continue until Friday.


Stay Connected

Update your news preferences and get the latest news delivered to your inbox.

Nation set to bake in weekend heatwave

An intense heatwave is moving over Australia this weekend. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

It's been a hot Australian summer so far but forecasters warn the worst is...

MEMORY LANE: Dramatic mass rescue at Ballina beach

KEEPING SWIMMERS SAFE: Surf lifesaving beltmen were a regular sight on Australian beaches and were credited with helping to save lives on Ballina Beach in 1968.

50 years ago this week 28 swimmers swept 300 to 400 yards out to sea

'Stomped on head': Last straw for shopping centre manager

Business owner says 'little thugs' have been terrorising centre management, security, customers and retail staff at Lismore Central.

Calls for intervention to crackdown on youth crime

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