Castration suspects make first court appearance
by BETH PLEMING

Staff writer

Victim consent could lessen penalties

Three Waynesville men facing felony charges for castrating and maiming appeared before Judge Richlyn Holt Monday during their first court appearance. During the hearing, Holt read Richard Sciara, Danny Reeves and Michael Mendez their rights, recited the list of charges against them and appointed each an attorney.

All are facing five counts of felonious castration and maiming without malice, five counts of felonious conspiracy to commit castration and maiming without malice and eight misdemeanor counts of performing medical procedures without a license.

Investigation reports stated that the suspects admitted to performing no less than eight surgeries on six clients, all of whom were males ages 18 and older from various locations throughout the United States and South America, maintaining that each surgery was done with the person’s consent.

Under North Carolina statutes, any person convicted of castrating, maiming or disfiguring any of the “privy members,” defined as male private parts, of another person with the intent to render the person impotent will be punished as a class E felon. This applies only as long as the action was taken without malice. “Class E, with them having no apparent record that we can find at this point, means they can receive an active or intermediate sentence,” said District Attorney Mike Bonfoey. “An intermediate sentence could be a combination of an active sentence and some probation.”

Sciara, Reeves and Mendez could receive intermediate punishment for five of the 18 charges against them, law enforcement officials said, because it appears their crimes were committed with the consent of their victims, therefore making it a crime without malice.

Under state statutes, it is not a defense that the maimed person consented to the act. It just implies a less harsh sentence. Had the victims not consented to the operations, the crimes would be punishable as class C crimes.

“Class C’s all receive active sentencing and get three times more punishment,” Bonfoey said. “Class C is a much more serious level of punishment that can doled out by the judge.”

An eyewitness told investigators that he met the three suspects in a chat room via the Internet and visited their home at 541 Peace Mountain Road on numerous occasions, court records stated.

During his stay in the home, the witness said people were coming to the home to learn “slave training,” and to use the “dungeon” or “play room” and to have surgeries, specifically castrations and penectomies performed, according to the investigation report. The dungeon was actually an enclosed portion of the carport.

Detectives investigating the case said that multiple DVDs depicting Richard Sciara, also known as “Master Rick,” performing operations, which included removing a man’s penis and rerouting the urethra, were confiscated during a search of the Peace Mountain Road home was located.

Law enforcement officials will not say if clients were paying for the services but have reported that a DVD copy of the videotape was provided to each client. Sciara, Reeves and Mendez are sexual lovers and have a master-slave relationship, investigation reports state, and others who visit the home are also slaves to “Master Rick.”

No evidence or additional details were offered in the initial court appearance. Evidence may be submitted during the second court appearance, scheduled for April 12.

Bonfoey said he can’t say whether the case will go to trial, or if the defendants will opt to plead guilty. “You never know in any case what a defendant is going to do; that’s a decision that I don’t have any control over,” he said. “It’s between the person accused and his attorney. I always expect that everyone will go through trial and are surprised when we are able to shorten the process when they plea guilty. We prepare as if every case is going to trial, if one decides to plea guilty it’s a benefit to us and to the public.”

Each defendant has a different court-appointed attorney.

Waynesville attorney Roy Patton is representing Sciara. Canton attorney William Leslie is representing Reeves, and Waynesville attorney Bill Jones is representing Mendez.

None could be reached for comment.

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