Court documents detailing the kidnapping of 16-year-old Hannah Anderson revealed some grisly details about the ordeal that indicated abductor James Lee DiMaggio actually tortured the girl’s mother and younger brother before killing them.
Hannah was snatched by DiMaggio as she left cheerleading practice, just-released court documents revealed. The 40-year-old man apparently called the teen 13 times before picking her up at her practice on Aug. 4, The Associated Press reported.
The affidavits also showed that “DiMaggio tortured and killed his best friend’s wife and eight-year-old son. DiMaggio also shot and killed the family dog. After the double homicide, DiMaggio set the house on fire,” CNN reported.
The court documents did not specify the nature of the torture. But Fox News reported that a crow bar was found next to the burned and charred body of the mother.
DiMaggio was subsequently killed by police. His preliminary autopsy indicated an FBI agent actually shot him five times, after he was found in the wilderness of Idaho this past weekend. Hannah is recovering from the ordeal, mourning the loss of her mother and brother.
“I wish I could go back in time and risk my life to try and save theirs. I will never forgive myself for not trying harder to save them,” she wrote in a Twitter account that was disabled Wednesday, the AP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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