Authorities and family members of a victim in Texas are reporting that a man abused her for a minimum of six months, even allegedly locking her in a room from the outside and physically restraining her.
Kenneth Leon Wright, aged 41, is said to have threatened to kill his girlfriend if she attempted to leave the apartment they shared in Houston. This information came to light during a court appearance on Saturday, as investigators outlined the disturbing details of her situation.
According to the prosecutor, Wright resorted to physically attacking her—punching her in the face—just two days before his arrest on Friday.
In some rare instances, he would take her to his mother’s house, but he ensured that her family remained unaware of her whereabouts. If her family tried to reach out, her sister, Shenita Carter, noted that he would prevent any communication, making it even harder for them to assist her.
Eventually, the victim managed to contact her family discreetly, leading her mother to trace her location and request a welfare check.
After Wright’s arrest on Friday, her sister began to realize the extent of her confinement. “There are nails in the window,” she told ABC13, highlighting how the door was locked from outside and the window was boarded up.
“It’s just heartbreaking that this is how she lived,” Carter added.
Wright is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping and assault against a household member, according to prison records. He is currently held at Harris County Jail on a $225,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on September 24th.
Carter acknowledged that although Wright, who works as a landscape gardener, provided for her sister in some ways by paying rent and buying food, it doesn’t justify the abusive and prison-like conditions she faced.
When an ABC13 reporter approached the apartment, a woman who identified herself as Wright’s current girlfriend claimed that he had not forced her to stay against her will and argued that he was just taking care of her.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has not yet responded to inquiries for additional details.
