(WXYZ) — A judge bound over Benjamin Wagner to circuit court Monday on multiple counts of kidnapping and sexual assault following testimony from his alleged victims. The decision came during Wagner's preliminary exam — his first in-person court appearance since his arrest in North Carolina in March.
Warning: Some of the testimony described below is graphic and may be disturbing.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
Wagner is accused of abducting and sexually assaulting six women who were between 14 and 23 years old at the time of the crimes. Investigators say the kidnappings and rapes occurred between 1999 and 2003.
Several of the alleged victims took the stand Monday. Their voices have been altered and their faces and names are not being disclosed to protect their privacy.
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One woman testified she was approached at gunpoint near Mark Twain.
"When I got to Mark Twain, I was met by a guy at gunpoint," she said. "He had the gun pointed at me and stated, '(bleep expletive), don't look at me if you want to live,'" she said.
A Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney asked another woman what was going through her mind when she said Wagner allegedly approached her with a gun, "I'm going to die," she said. "He made me perform oral sex and then made me lay down, perform missionary sex until he was finished, and told me not to move until he was gone," she also testified.
Some of the women also testified that the treatment they received from police after the assaults compounded their trauma.
"I felt like a dog. I felt like I was treated like a dog throughout the whole experience," one victim said. When asked what she meant, she said, "I felt like they didn't believe me."
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Defense attorney Robert Kinney pointed to what he described as inconsistencies between some of the victims' statements to police and their testimony in court. Prosecutors, however, submitted lab reports stating DNA evidence tied Wagner to the rapes of all six alleged victims.
36th District Court Judge Shawn Jacque ruled that the cases would move forward.
"We've also established there is probable cause to believe that the felonies alleged were committed by the defendant. For that reason, Mr. Wagner, you will be bound over as charged," Jacque said.
Wagner is set to be arraigned on the charges in circuit court the day after Memorial Day. He is currently being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail.
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