| For Immediate Release March 15, 2007 |
Contact: Farrah Emami Spokesperson Office: 714-347-8405 Cell: 714-323-4486 |
MAN CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING HIS LIVE-IN GIRLFRIEND AND ATTEMPTING
TO MURDER HER TWO DAYS LATER
*Defendant also charged with kidnapping and attempting
to rob his girlfriend’s neighbor
NEWPORT BEACH – A man faces charges for trying to harm his live-in girlfriend on two occasions and kidnapping another victim with the intention of robbing her. Manuel Ozuna Viveros, 30, is charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, criminal threats, two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat, and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon for Jane Doe #1. Regarding Jane Doe #2, he is charged with first-degree residential burglary, second degree robbery, attempted carjacking, and kidnapping to commit robbery. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Viveros is being held on $2 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Friday, March 16, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-7, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
On February 20, 2007, Viveros is accused of confronting his live-in girlfriend, Jane Doe #1, at a grocery store in Santa Ana. He is accused of forcing her into his truck and grabbing her cell phone as she tried to call 9-1-1. Viveros is accused of driving the victim away, eventually taking her to their home in Lake Forest after Jane Doe #1 agreed out of fear to stay with the victim. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was contacted and a protective order was issued for the victim. The defendant fled the scene before police arrived.
On February 22, 2007, Viveros is accused of confronting Jane Doe #1 again, this time as she was walking near her home. He is accused of attempting to force her into a car and threatening to kill her. When the victim resisted, Viveros is accused of reaching into his car and retrieving a knife and stabbing Jane Doe #1 multiple times.
Viveros is accused of running away from the Jane Doe #1 and into a nearby home, where he demanded that the resident, Jane Doe #2, drive him to another city. He is accused of leaving the residence with Jane Doe #2, who then gave him the keys to her car and escaped to a neighbor’s garage.