Kidnap suspect’s case moved to federal court

A man accused of kidnapping a Torrington teen last week and sexually assaulting her twice before locking her in the trunk of her family’s car before attempting to cross the Canadian border will have his case transferred to federal court in Connecticut, officials said.

Christopher Constanzo, 19, was arrested by federal authorities only after Canadian officials turned Constanzo and the victim away at the border because they did not receive COVID-19 tests needed to cross, according to an affidavit filed in Vermont district court.

During a virtual hearing on Tuesday, a federal prosecutor said the government intends to transfer the case to the District of Connecticut. A criminal complaint filed in Connecticut on Tuesday charges Constanzo with kidnapping and two violations for allegedly carrying the 16-year-old girl across state lines for illicit sexual conduct.

Constanzo remained silent throughout the brief appearance held over Zoom, except to answer questions from U.S. District Court Judge Kevin Doyle.

Doyle ordered Constanzo detained for his transfer to Connecticut, a move Constanzo did not contest through his attorney.

“He’s preserving his right to a detention hearing in Connecticut,” said Steven Barth, the federal public defender representing Constanzo. That proceeding will likely determine whether Constanzo can be released on bond while the case is pending.

Court papers filed Tuesday in both Vermont and Connecticut courts provide more insights into the alleged kidnapping, which authorities claim unfolded the night of Dec. 1 and into the following morning. The complaint filed in Connecticut federal court showed that prior to the incident, Constanzo was the “subject of a pending sexual assault investigation in Connecticut” that occurred months before.

The affidavit alleges that prior to trying to cross the border, Constanzo had removed the girl from the trunk of her parents’ Toyota Camry and placed her inside the car, restraining her hands with a shoelace.

Border Patrol agents separated Constanzo and the 16-year-old girl, referred to only by her initials or as the “Minor Victim” or “MV” in court documents, after the two were turned away from crossing by Canadian authorities. The girl then told investigators she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Constanzo, according to affidavits filed in the case.

During a subsequent interview with Vermont and federal law enforcement agents, the girl told investigators she had met Constanzo through a mutual friend and went to see him at Stillwater State Park in Torrington that evening. She said Constanzo then sexually assaulted her at knifepoint before forcing her into the trunk of her parents’ green Toyota sedan, the affidavits state.

The girl told investigators later in the night Constanzo sexually assaulted her again, but she wasn’t sure where the second assault occurred, court records show. She told authorities she was kept in the trunk until approximately 4 a.m. the following morning.

At one point, Constanzo had the girl unlock her phone so he could text her family, posing as the girl, “to make them believe she was fine,” an affidavit for a search warrant of his phone states.

The girl told investigators Constanzo placed her in the front seat of the car before they reached the Canadian border, and told officials he was her brother and they were crossing into Canada to visit friends. “Due to a lack of COVID tests, however, they were denied entry into Canada and were turned around to reenter the United States,” the affidavit reads.

A search of Constanzo turned up a knife, according to the affidavits.

In an interview with authorities the afternoon after he was detained, Constanzo reiterated to investigators that he was going to visit friends in Canada, but could not tell the interviewers where they lived, records show.

Constanzo