Barnes Pleads Not Guilty In Germantown Abduction
By Walt Hunter
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- During a two-minute hearing in federal court at which accused kidnapper Delvin Barnes pleaded not guilty and showed no emotion, he was ordered held in prison to await trial.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeanine Linehan says Barnes' attorney, public defender Elizabeth Toplin, had stipulated to the prosecution's request for pre-trial detention for Barnes.
In a pre-trial detention motion filed with the court, the prosecutor revealed new information about Gaither's three-day kidnapping ordeal, after she was allegedly snatched off a Germantown street by Barnes and thrown into his car.
"She was forced to lie, bound and cold, in the trunk of the defendant's car," according to the motion.
Gaither was freed after federal agents swarmed the car where she was allegedly being held by Barnes, arresting him in Jessup, Maryland.
The suspect, who will be held in the Federal Center, also faces charges he attempted to rape a teenage girl, setting her afire in Virginia.
Neither the alleged victim, nor any members of her family, were in court for the brief hearing.
If convicted, Barnes could face life behind bars.
Barnes' defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
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