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- U.N. Commission Finds Russian Forces Have Committed Rape and “Widespread and Systematic” Torture Democracy Now!
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- ‘Victim-centred approach’ needed in Ukraine when war ends: Top UN rights investigator UN News
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Tag Archives: torturing
Report: Man accused of kidnapping, torturing Oregon woman dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound following police standoff
CNN
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A week after authorities discovered a woman bound and beaten in a southwest Oregon home, the kidnapping suspect has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a CNN affiliate reports.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, died in a hospital after an hourslong standoff with law enforcement Tuesday evening in Grants Pass, Oregon, CNN affiliate KTVL reported, citing a police spokesperson.
The standoff concluded after authorities had surrounded the home – under which they believed Foster was hiding – and were trying to convince the suspect to surrender, KTVL reported.
In a statement Tuesday night, Grants Pass police said Foster was “in custody” after the standoff but provided no additional details. The department said it will hold a press conference Wednesday.
Foster was wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping and assault after officers found a woman restrained and beaten until she was unconscious in a Grants Pass home on January 24, police said.
Prosecutors have accused Foster of torturing the woman with the intention of killing her, according to charging documents.
The victim was still hospitalized in critical condition as of Sunday, according to Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman.
Foster knew his victim before the attack, Hensman told CNN, saying the two had a “prior relationship.” He did not elaborate but said, “This was not a random attack.”
The suspect had already fled by the time officers arrived at the scene last week, prompting a sweeping multi-day search for Foster which drew a flood of tips from the public and included federal, state and local agencies, police said.
As they searched for Foster, police warned he was “extremely dangerous” and potentially armed. Hensman said he was “definitely a threat to others,” particularly those who might try to befriend him.
Investigators said Foster likely received help fleeing law enforcement. They also warned he could be may have been using dating apps to find potential new victims or lure people into aiding his escape.
When officers responded to a 911 call from a friend of the victim, they were confronted with “an absolutely disgusting scene,” Hensman told CNN. The victim had been suffering the alleged abuses for a “protracted amount of time” before she was discovered, he said.
“This will stay stained in my memory for many years to come,” the police chief said, describing images of the scene as “horrific.”
At least two women who have had relationships with Foster have accused him of attacking and abusing them, according to Clark County court records from cases in Las Vegas.
In the first case, his ex-girlfriend testified that in 2017 Foster flew into a rage and strangled her after seeing that another man had texted her. Foster was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence, the records show.
While that case was still pending, he was charged with felony assault, battery and kidnapping after his then-girlfriend told police that he had strangled her multiple times and kept her tied up for most of a two-week period, according to the documents.
The woman was finally able to escape by convincing Foster they needed to go shop for food and fleeing through a store, a Las Vegas police report said. When she reached a hospital, she had seven broken ribs, two black eyes and abrasions to her wrists and ankles from being tied up, the report said.
Foster accepted plea deals in both cases. In the first case, he was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison but given credit for 729 days served.
Man accused of torturing woman in Oregon in custody: Police
A man accused of torturing a woman who authorities believe uses dating apps to find victims or people to help him evade police is now in custody following a manhunt, Oregon police said.
“After a several [hourslong] standoff, Benjamin Foster is in custody. A press conference will be held tomorrow with additional information,” the Grants Pass Police Department said.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, is wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping and assault, police said.
He is an “extremely dangerous suspect,” the department warned in an update on Sunday, when Foster was still on the run.
A man police believe to be Foster was spotted walking a small dog in the Grants Pass area Tuesday morning, the department had said.
The Grants Pass Police Department released this image of Benjamin Foster.
Grants Pass Police Department
“It’s essentially an all-hands-on-deck operation,” Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told ABC News. “We are laser-focused.”
Police began looking for Foster on Jan. 24, after responding to a home in Grants Pass for an assault. At the home, officers found a woman in critical condition who had been “bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness,” police said.
The suspect had already fled the scene before officers arrived but was identified as Foster, of Wolf Creek, police said.
“The scene was horrific,” Hensman told ABC News. “This is a bad man that needs to be captured.”
Hensman told reporters during a press briefing on Jan. 26 that they are still working on a timeline, but said the assault is believed to have occurred over a “protracted period of time.” He would not elaborate on the nature of the suspect’s relationship with the victim.
The Grants Pass Police Department released this image of Benjamin Foster.
Grants Pass Police Department
Amid the manhunt, authorities located Foster’s car and executed a search warrant in a home in Wolf Creek last week. The suspect “evaded capture and likely received assistance in fleeing the area,” police said.
“The investigation has revealed that the suspect is actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with the suspect’s escape or potentially as additional victims,” police said.
During the search of the home, a 68-year-old woman, Tina Marie Jones, was arrested for allegedly hindering prosecution. She remains in custody at the Josephine County Jail.
The victim, identified by her family as Justine Siemens, was transported to an area hospital and remains on life support.
“She will survive this and as her family, we implore the nation to help bring her attacker to justice,” her family said in a statement.
The Grants Pass Police Department released this image of Benjamin Foster.
Grants Pass Police Department
Foster has been convicted on domestic violence charges for two assaults that occurred within the past five years in Las Vegas, court records show.
In 2019, he was accused of holding his then-girlfriend captive inside her Las Vegas apartment for two weeks, according to an arrest report obtained at the time by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was charged with four counts of battery and two counts of assault, though in August 2021 he pleaded guilty to two of the battery charges as part of a plea deal, online court records show. A judge sentenced him to up to 1.5 years in prison, with credit for the 729 days he had already spent in jail awaiting trial, according to court records.
In August 2021, he reached another plea deal in a 2018 domestic violence case and was sentenced to credit for time served for a misdemeanor battery charge, court records show.
“Am I troubled by what I know already? The answer is yes,” Hensman told reporters when asked about the prior Las Vegas cases. “We’re laser-focused on capturing this man and bringing him to justice.”
The Grants Pass Police Department is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Foster in the attempted murder case.
Police described Foster as a 6-foot-tall white man weighing approximately 180 pounds with brown hair, possibly worn in a bun, and blue eyes. Police shared recent photographs of Foster with a beard, though they said he may attempt to change his appearance by shaving his beard and hair or changing his hair color.
“The Grants Pass Police Department asks the public to pay particular attention to Foster’s facial structure and eyes since those features are very difficult to change,” the department said.
Tips for sightings of the suspect “continue to flood into the department, and we are confident this dangerous criminal will soon be captured with the assistance of a concerned citizen,” the department said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Grants Pass Police tip line at 541-237-5607.