Man charged in rape, torture of teen girlfriend in Hanford

HANFORD, Calif. -- A man accused of raping and torturing his 16-year-old girlfriend is charged with attempted murder among a slew of other crimes. Eddie Perez, 19, was arrested Saturday after running from Hanford police for more than a day after his girlfriend was found battered in his car.

Screaming in a car and begging for help -- that's how Albert Martinez found the 16-year-old rape victim Friday.

"So I did slowly approach the car. She asked if she could use a phone, so I asked her what the situation was. She was really panicked, and crying and really scared," said Martinez.

The victim's boyfriend, Perez, is now the main suspect in her assault. He was charged with a list of felonies Monday, including assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, rape of a minor, torture and attempted murder.

"Our office has had the opportunity to review the reports and we have charged Eddie Perez with 16 count complaint which also includes several special allegations," Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Schuller said.

According to Hanford police, Perez held the victim captive in his car for five days, beating her with a tire iron and forcing her to defecate in the car. The 16-year-old Avenal girl was reported as a runaway two weeks ago. Witnesses say her injuries were so brutal she even couldn't use her legs.

"Her face was really bruised. She was having a very hard time looking at who she was talking to. She couldn't really put a focus on me. Her eyes she couldn't really open," said Martinez.

When the prosecutors read Perez his charges in court Monday, he shook his head in disbelief. He looked shocked when they charged him with attempted murder and cried through most of the arraignment. His bail is set at $6,850,000.

As for the victim, we're told she's still in the hospital, but she is recovering from her injuries.