From left, Grace Kipendo, Pasi Heri and Mmunga Fungamali.Photo:St. Louis Police Dept.
St. Louis Police Dept.
Three men are facing charges in connection with an alleged kidnapping and assault that police say took place in a St. Louis, Mo., church in late February.
When the woman — who has not been publicly identified — was discovered, a bottle of water and “a bucket with feces and urine” was in the room where she said she was held, the probable cause statement alleges. She also claimed she was beaten at that location and allegedly identified three men who she said were responsible for her kidnapping and assault.
First Alert 4 andThe St. Louis Post-Dispatchidentified the church as Mount of Olives Ministry. According toThe Post-Dispatch, the church is known for helping African refugees settle into the city.
Mount of Olives Ministry.Google Maps
Google Maps
“It’s unfathomable,” Arlie Singleton, a pastor at a different St. Louis church, toldKSDK. “I could have never have never comprehended some allegations like this happening at that church."
Kipendo’s attorney Chris Combs tells PEOPLE that Kipendo and Fungamali are brothers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kipendo, a U.S. citizen, has been in the U.S. since 2010. Fungamali, who had been in St. Louis for less than two days before the alleged assault, is a Canadian citizen, Combs says.
According toThe Post-Dispatch, the church was condemned after the arrests when St. Louis authorities found people illegally living there. The three suspects did not live at the church.
Kipendo, Fungamali and Heri have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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“I think it’s a misidentification,” Combs says, further saying that he believes there was also a language barrier and cultural differences that contributed to the arrests. He also stated on the night the woman was discovered, an event was taking place at the church with more than 30 people in attendance.
An attorney listed for Fungamali did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. An attorney for Heri was not listed online. The suspects are being held without bond. Kipendo’s preliminary hearing is set for March 27; Fungamali’s is set for March 28; Heri’s is set for April 3.
PEOPLE reached out to the church for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
source: people.com
