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Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Merced man pleads innocent in torture case

A Merced man arrested Tuesday on suspicion of imprisoning and torturing his girlfriend for months has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

Daniel Ruben Gonzalez entered his plea Friday during a brief arraignment hearing in Merced County Superior Court. Judge Donald Proietti set Gonzalez's bail at $6 million and ordered a public defender to represent him.

Gonzalez, 37, wore a yellow jumpsuit and participated in the hearing from jail by way of a video conferencing system. Besides asking the judge how he was doing, Gonzalez said nothing during the arraignment.

His next court appearance is set for Nov. 12.

Gonzalez was arrested Tuesday night after a woman showed up at the Merced Police Department's central station and told officers that her ex-boyfriend had just let her go after hours of abuse inside his apartment. She explained that the man's current girlfriend was still at the apartment and in danger, police said.

Officers left for the scene and found Gonzalez's girlfriend badly beaten, they said.

Investigators believe Gonzalez had been holding her inside their apartment in the 3200 block of Denver Avenue since at least mid-August and that he subjected her to beatings, rapes, sodomy, burnings and stabbings.

Police said she told them that Gonzalez tried to cut off her fingers and that he once stabbed her and left her to bleed until she lost consciousness.

Gonzalez faces charges of aggravated assault, rape, torture, sodomy and false imprisonment.

Authorities believe Gonzalez's ex-girlfriend -- the one who reported the abuse to police -- had been held for less than a day before Gonzalez let her go. She told police she went to his apartment willingly, but that he blocked her from leaving and beat her.

Reporter Corinne Reilly can be reached at (209)385-2477 or creilly@mercedsun-star.com.