Man Accused Of Abducting Philly Woman Found In Md. Pleads Guilty
PHILADELPHIA (WJZ) -- A man accused of being a serial abductor confesses in court. Delvin Barnes was captured in November here in Maryland after kidnapping a woman off the street in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors say this is not his first offense.
Meghan McCorkell has more on Thursday's court hearing.
Delvin Barnes told a judge that the kidnapping started as a robbery, but says he panicked.
Terrifying surveillance video shows Delvin Barnes abducting 22-year-old Carlesha Freeland-Gaither as she walked home on a Philadelphia street in November.
On Thursday, Barnes pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges.
"He's a vicious predator. He's off the streets. And hopefully, he'll be in jail for the rest of his life," said Chief Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Department.
According to court documents, Barnes dragged the victim into his car and hit her in the head with a hammer.
For days, he held her hostage, driving more than 100 miles through Havre de Grace and Aberdeen before authorities caught up with him near a Jessup strip mall.
The FBI and ATF tracked him down using a GPS system inside his car.
"As we approached the car, he was totally shocked and surprised to see these ATF agents coming at him," authorities said.
Investigators say just weeks before this abduction, Barnes kidnapped another girl in Richmond, Virginia.
They say he hit the 16-year-old in the head with a shovel, raped her and then asked how she wanted to die. He then poured bleach and gasoline on her.
"The burns of her skin... my daughter didn't look like herself. It was devastating to watch," the victim's mother said.
After nearly two days, the teen escaped and ran for help.
Barnes was wanted on attempted murder charges in that case at the time of the abduction in Philly.
He now faces 35 years behind bars.
Barnes told the court he wanted to rob Freeland-Gaither because he needed money to get back home to Virginia.
Barnes' sentencing is set for January.
