commentary by Patrick H. Moore
For most of us Thanksgiving is a time for sleeping late, moving slow, spending an extra long time pouring over the “magnificent” offerings in All Things Crime Blog 
, perhaps watching the NFL game, perhaps taking the kids to the park, or if the kids are too old to take to the park, perhaps taking your kids’ kids to the park. Later on it’s a time for sitting down at the dinner time, staring in wonder all at the freshly prepared food, perhaps saying a prayer, perhaps not saying a prayer, and then digging until — in time — the table is no longer groaning under the excessive weight of all the food — rather, you are groaning under the weight of all the food you have devoured.
Three Tucson girls, however, have an entirely different reason for being thankful this Thanksgiving . Two of them are 12 and 13 years of age and the other is 17. Until a few days ago, they were held captive in a house of horrors with 24-hour surveillance, an elaborate alarm system and music blasted round the clock. Now, however, they have been liberated after up to two years of enforced captivity with video cameras aimed at them 24/7 while they were bombarded with an odd combination of hip-hop, Latino music and thunderous static.
According to the police, the girls were fed a noodle “goulash” and were occasionally given a piece of fresh fruit. They had to request bathroom visits which were often denied leaving the girls which no choice other than to resort to bags and jars in the closet.
Their “parents”, stepdad Fernando Richter, 34, and mother Sophia Richter, 32, face multiple charges of kidnapping and child abuse. Fernando Richter also faces a charge of sexual abuse with a person under 15. The parents appeared in court via video Wednesday morning. A judge set their bail at $100,000 and $75,000, respectively.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor stated that the girls were imprisoned by “a variety of means both technological and psychological.” The girls told police they were held captive for as long as two years, were given only one meal a day and hadn’t bathed for the last four to six months.
“The home was alarmed extensively throughout the perimeter openings and interior openings so that anyone who opened doors, there would be immediate notice,” Chief Villasenor noted. Video cameras were aimed at the girls’ beds. It is not yet known if the recordings were streamed outside of the home.
The eldest girl’s room, which was adjacent to the room in which the two younger girls were held, was sealed off with towels pressed against the doors and windows. The air ducts were also taped over, making the music piped into the room nearly inaudible from the outside. The 17-year-old was “treated” to hip-hop while the younger girls had Latin music piped in. It appears that the parents wanted to make the girls as uncomfortable as possible. Should the girls show any signs of liking the music, it would be quickly replaced by the nasty sounds of static. The music was blasting so loudly that the 17-year-old initially had no idea that the police had arrived to rescue her early Tuesday after the younger girls escaped.
Cops, who see a lot of weirdness as they make their rounds, were stunned by the volume of sound. “The music never stopped,” said Villasenor, citing interviews with the young, malnourished victims. “Their movements were controlled.”
The rescue occurred after the police were called to the house at 4:02 am Tuesday after a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance involving a knife. When the police arrived, they discovered the two younger girls had escaped to a neighbor’s house. They reported that Fernando “had tried busting into their bedroom with a knife”, which was when they fled.
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Sheriff Villasenor reported that the couple had only been living in the house since August. Their previous residence in Catalina, Ariz., had also reportedly served as a prison. The Richters had misled other family members, including the younger girls’ biological father, by telling them that they were living in California. The girls had no idea what city or even which state they were in when they were rescued.
The 17-year-old had a journal documenting at least 18 months of nightmarish confinement. According to Villasenor, when the three girls were reunited, it was clear that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. The girls are now living together in a group home. The 17-year-old was able to keep her most prized possession, a picture of singer Enrique Iglesias.
Fernando Richter married Sophia within the last 3 to 4 years. They were both unemployed and according to KVOA, Fernando had been charged with criminal damage, disorderly conduct, and assault in March 2012.
Neighbors reported they had no idea that the children were living in the home.
The girl’s aunt, Chame Bueno, who had been forbidden to speak to her nieces, told The Associated Press that Richter was mentally abusive toward his wife.
“She always talked him up, ‘Oh well he pays for all my kids’ clothes and he takes them here and he takes them to eat and do this’ — and all that time being locked up in a room,” Bueno of Tucson, told the AP. “And he hasn’t done nothing. She has just been lying.”
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Chame Bueno was wrong in stating that Richter “hasn’t done nothing”. He had imprisoned all three girls and apparently sexually abused at least one of them. Furthermore, he was presumably the one who initiated keeping the girls in captivity. Based on what has been revealed by law enforcement, there is no clear explanation as to Richter’s motive.
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So as we enjoy our leisure time today and devour our bountiful repast, we should all take a moment to acknowledge the hardship these three rescued girls have endured. Living in a group home is obviously no “piece of cake”, but at least they are presumably no longer locked up 24/7 with loud music and horrible static blasting into their dungeon-like rooms. Hopefully, they will receive appropriate counseling and, in time, will begin to heal from their trauma. There is probably no healing available, however, for one such as Fernando Richter, who was no doubt damaged as a child and who has, in turn, chosen to inflict damage upon others. A prison sentence awaits him.