Extradited Suspect In Torture, Mutilation Of OC Pot Shop Owner Set For Arraignment
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — An man recently extradited from the Czech Republic was set to be arraigned Wednesday in the torture and sexual mutilation of the owner of a Newport Beach marijuana dispensary.
KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports 35-year-old Hossein Nayeri faces charges of aggravated mayhem, torture and residential burglary for the alleged Oct. 2012 attack.
Suspect In Torture, Mutilation Of OC Pot Shop Owner Extradited From Czech Republic
Nayeri along with co-defendants Kyle Shirakawa Handley, 35, Ryan Anthony Kevorkian, 35, and Naomi Josette Rhodus (formerly Naomi Kevorkian), 34, face the same charges and maximum sentence as Nayeri, according to Orange County prosecutor Matt Murphy.
Prosecutors say Nayeri and his co-defendants the victim and his girlfriend to the desert where they believed John Doe was hiding money. They are accused of continuing to torture John Doe throughout the drive by burning him with a blow torch.
Once in the desert, the defendants are accused of sexually mutilating the victim by cutting off his penis, Murphy said.
The defendants are accused of pouring bleach on the victim in an effort to destroy any DNA evidence and dumping both victims on the side of the road. Another victim, Jane Doe, was not physically harmed, according to prosecutors.
"This is a very brutal crime, we can't begin imagine what the reasoning was behind what they did," said Murphy. "We're looking forward to presenting all the facts in front of a jury."
If convicted, Nayeri faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. He is being held without bail.
Handley is being held without bail, while Kevorkian and Rhodus are being held on $1 million bail each.
