• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Cops detail how they captured assailants who kidnapped man before zip-tying and cutting off his penis

Home> News> US News

Updated 11:28 5 Feb 2025 GMTPublished 11:15 5 Feb 2025 GMT

Cops detail how they captured assailants who kidnapped man before zip-tying and cutting off his penis

Police have broken down how they caught the kidnappers in a wild case

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

Police have outlined how they went from no information to convicting the three men responsible for an insane kidnapping plot.

Michael was the owner of a successful marijuana dispenser business in California but saw his life turned upside down after being kidnapped.

The then 28-year-old was at his home with housemate, Mary Barnes, when the property was broken into back in 2012. The pair were grabbed, blindfolded and gagged and eventually driven into the Mojave Desert.

Advert

The kidnappers believed Michael had hidden $1 million dollars in the desert and tortured him severely, hoping he would reveal its location. He repeatedly insisted he did not have that kind of money.

Michael was beaten and tortured with a blowtorch and a taser during the two-and-a-half hour journey to the desert. As well as this they zip-tied the base of his penis before severing it and dousing him in bleach, during which they allegedly laughed.

Eventually Mary found a knife, cut herself free and flagged down a vehicle which just happened to be a deputy officer with the Kern County Sheriff's Department. This heinous act is now being revisited in ABC News Studios' true-crime TV series, Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert.

Advert

Ryan Peters, a now retired Newport Beach Police Department detective, and Matt Murphy, then a homicide prosecutor with the district attorney's office, worked on the case and took steps to find the perpetrators.

The new ABC documentary will be diving into Michael's kidnapping ordeal(Hulu)
The new ABC documentary will be diving into Michael's kidnapping ordeal(Hulu)

Murphy has spoken out about the difficulties in finding the culprits.

He told ABC News: “At the very beginning of the investigation, we basically had nothing.

Advert

“We have this absolutely horrific crime, and they interview Michael, who's like, 'Guys, I pay my bills. I have no enemies. I'm nice to people. I've never slept with anybody's wife.' My detectives are looking for any possible angle, like, who did this?"

The police got their first significant lead after speaking to Michael’s neighbor who gave them crucial information.

The neighbor said that the day before the crime, while sat at her desk, she saw a white truck pull up near her home in an alley way. She noted that the truck appeared to have a dent in it.

She added that she saw three men, who looked like construction workers pull up, and place a ladder against Michael’s house. However, this disguise didn’t seem to convince the neighbor who decided to write down the license plate number.

Advert

The license plate number was traced back to a local individual, Kyle Shirakawa Handley, who ran a medical marijuana business.

Police stopped Handley for a vehicle violation and was eventually interviewed by Peters but refused to speak to him without a lawyer present.

Peters then obtained a search warrant for Handley's house, his person, and cars.

Hossein Nayeri was arrested and sentenced to life without parole(YouTube/ABC News)
Hossein Nayeri was arrested and sentenced to life without parole(YouTube/ABC News)

Advert

As police were able to search his home, they found more evidence Handley was involved as well as clues towards the other perpetrators.

Peters said: “We slowly, methodically, kind of start going through these things. And what we're finding is that they're white towels with bleach all over them. We test these towels for blood and they're coming back positive."

Through DNA testing of other items inside the van, police found out a man named Hossein Nayeri was also connected and later learned he was the mastermind behind the scheme. They also found that another man, Ryan Kevorkian, was also part of the scheme.

Both Nayeri and Handley were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole while Kevorkian was sentenced to 12 years.

Featured Image Credit: ABC News

Topics: News, US News, Crime

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

20 mins ago
23 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 20 mins ago

    What happens if Iran's leader is removed or dies after going into hiding amid Israel and USA attacks

    Three major Iranian nuclear sites were bombed by the US over the weekend

    News
  • 23 mins ago

    Inside B-2 stealth bombers and how they made 18-hour journey 'without the world knowing’

    Each jet is said to have cost over $2 billion to build

    News
  • an hour ago

    Justin Bieber fans concerned after sharing cryptic post about 'silent treatment' amid 'savage' post from wife Hailey

    Justin Bieber's fans have been concerned about his marriage for some time

    Celebrity
  • an hour ago

    Before and after photos show key differences of Iran’s nuclear sites after US bombing as expert explains the impact

    Satellite images were caught over three nuclear sites after Donald Trump confirmed strikes against Iran

    News
  • Selfie taken before three friends died showed they missed heartbreaking detail
  • How nitrogen gas executions work as death row mate chooses method before chilling final act
  • 5 celebrities who were kidnapped that you probably never knew about
  • Luigi Mangione claims cops acquired his DNA by using deceitful tactic to 'trick him'