Overview
- John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, pleaded not guilty on June 11 to charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and weapon possession and were ordered held without bail until a July 15 court date.
- Prosecutors detailed alleged torture over a 17-day captivity in a Manhattan townhouse, including chainsaw cuts, electric shocks, pistol whipping and setting the victim on fire after dousing him with tequila.
- On June 10, federal agents from the ATF, NYPD and Kentucky State Police executed warrants at the suspects’ $1 million Smithland, Kentucky, estate as part of an ongoing violent crime investigation.
- Assistant District Attorney Sarah Khan told the court that conversations with other law enforcement agencies indicate Woeltz and Duplessie may have held at least two additional victims against their will.
- Defense attorneys presented photos and videos showing the accuser smiling and leaving the townhouse freely, arguing he was never restrained or in distress during his time there.