Family of Kidnapped Victims Tells WCIA What Happened
Updated: March 30, 2007
Last September, Antonio Aguas, co-owner of La Bamba Mexican Restaurants, was kidnapped and held for ransom. Today, his kidnappers, Terence Merritt and Adrian Lopez, leaned how they will pay for their crime. The judge sentenced 18 year old Merritt to 30 years behind bars, and Lopez to 32 years in prison. The victim's family was disappointed with the ruling, hoping for more time. The judge even agreed, but felt if he gave a harsher sentence, it would just open the case for appeal. The judge said he did what he could based on court guidelines.
In court, both Aguas brothers broke down in tears, reliving what happened in September. Aguas' brother, Ramiro says time will never heal the scars left on his family from this ordea. He describes it as, "you're living an nightmare, you waking up, if you get to sleep an hour, you wake up an hour and you thinking you're dreaming, you're not dreaming." Investigators say, Lopez and Meritt were stalking Aguas at least the day before the kidnapping. The next, they kidnapped Aguas as he was leaving work at this restaurant. Next, they drove to a nearby corn field where Aguas tried to escape, but they caught him and stripped him. Aguas says his brother was beaten, "he was tied, beat up a couple of times, with a gun, over the head." Lawyers say Aguas was then put in the trunk tied, as the kidnappers drove from Champaign to Fort Wayne Indiana. During this time, the kidnappers called Aguas' brother, who was visiting in Mexico. They told him his brother was kidnapped and asked for a quarter million dollars in ransom. Aguas says he didn't know at first what was going on, "he says this is serious, if you don't get to America by tonight, says i'm gonna kill your brother." Aguas flew back the next day, still in shock of what was happening, " you don't know what to do, you don't know what to say. " He called police, who, with the help of the FBI, they tracked down his brother and the kidnappers five days after he was taken.
Even with the kidnappers now in prison, these two brothers say they will also live in fear, "they destroy your lives, my life can never be the same, my brothers, and anybody and my family, we have to be watching everybody around."
Aguas did not know the people who kidnapped him.
Detectives says the kidnapping was clearly planned well. Both men researched the Aguas family and followed the victim. They even say they found a voice distortion device on the two, used to disguise the voice during the calls.
During the kidnapping, a gun did go off, hitting a car. Lopez, who investigators say planned the kidnapping, claims it was an accident.
In court, both Aguas brothers broke down in tears, reliving what happened in September. Aguas' brother, Ramiro says time will never heal the scars left on his family from this ordea. He describes it as, "you're living an nightmare, you waking up, if you get to sleep an hour, you wake up an hour and you thinking you're dreaming, you're not dreaming." Investigators say, Lopez and Meritt were stalking Aguas at least the day before the kidnapping. The next, they kidnapped Aguas as he was leaving work at this restaurant. Next, they drove to a nearby corn field where Aguas tried to escape, but they caught him and stripped him. Aguas says his brother was beaten, "he was tied, beat up a couple of times, with a gun, over the head." Lawyers say Aguas was then put in the trunk tied, as the kidnappers drove from Champaign to Fort Wayne Indiana. During this time, the kidnappers called Aguas' brother, who was visiting in Mexico. They told him his brother was kidnapped and asked for a quarter million dollars in ransom. Aguas says he didn't know at first what was going on, "he says this is serious, if you don't get to America by tonight, says i'm gonna kill your brother." Aguas flew back the next day, still in shock of what was happening, " you don't know what to do, you don't know what to say. " He called police, who, with the help of the FBI, they tracked down his brother and the kidnappers five days after he was taken.
Even with the kidnappers now in prison, these two brothers say they will also live in fear, "they destroy your lives, my life can never be the same, my brothers, and anybody and my family, we have to be watching everybody around."
Aguas did not know the people who kidnapped him.
Detectives says the kidnapping was clearly planned well. Both men researched the Aguas family and followed the victim. They even say they found a voice distortion device on the two, used to disguise the voice during the calls.
During the kidnapping, a gun did go off, hitting a car. Lopez, who investigators say planned the kidnapping, claims it was an accident.
