The family of a kidnapped girl looked straight at “the most evil human being” in a New York courtroom and said he was getting “what he deserved.”
Craig Ross Jr., who admitted to kidnapping a 9-year-old girl and holding her captive for two days, was sentenced Wednesday to 47 years to life in prison as part of a plea deal. He admitted to multiple felonies, including first-degree kidnapping.
“If I come to this courtroom today, my lawyer will call my daughter a victim,” the girl’s mother, Trisha Sena, told FOX News Digital in a text message. “I understand that this is standard courtroom language, but as you leave today and choose to report on this case in your own discretion, please do not refer to her as the victim. .
“She’s a survivor. She’s been through horrible things, but she’ll get through this. And she’s working hard every day to remain a survivor. This horrible situation defines her.” It is not and will not be defined.”
Craig Ross Jr.’s neighbor describes tactical raid to rescue 9-year-old from Predator camper
A 9-year-old girl, Craig Ross Jr., was abducted from a park in upstate New York. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
Ross Jr. kidnapped the then-9-year-old girl from a park in upstate New York on September 30, 2023, and held her captive for 47 hours.
The FBI’s local law enforcement agencies at all levels flocked to Saratoga County, where residents had been on edge for days as police worked to identify suspects and locate the missing girl — who was still missing. Even if he was alive.
Craig Ross Jr.’s son says he hopes to die in prison
Miraculously, police officers and federal agents found the girl alive and announced they had the kidnapper in custody before the end of October 2nd, an outcome almost unprecedented. Ta.
And then the unimaginable courage of a girl wearing a Pokemon T-shirt appeared. Her aunt, Gene Sena, said she told investigators everything in detail, essentially signing and sealing the document and telling them the fate of her captors.
Craig Nelson Ross Jr., who pleaded guilty in February to kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from Moreau Lake State Park, was sentenced Wednesday to 47 years in prison by Judge James Murphy in Saratoga County Court in Ballston Spa, New York. The verdict was handed down. , April 17, 2024. (Hans Pennink, FOX News Digital)
“Jenne Sena shocked her family and investigators with her ability to calmly and clearly describe what happened to her over the course of 47 hours, no matter how trivial,” the American newspaper said. Written in an article published in. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.
Sena thanked all first responders and law enforcement, but the “real hero” was her niece.
“Not only did she keep herself alive during that terrible time, but she had an amazing ability to keep him away for the rest of his life so that he could never harm another child again. She did that. Thank you,” she wrote. “A petite angel, only five feet tall, faced off against a gigantic, terrifying monster, the flesh-and-blood Boogeyman, and she won.
“No one can take that away from her. Not all heroes wear capes. My hero wears a Pokemon T-shirt.”
“Please don’t call (my daughter) a victim. She is a survivor. She went through horrible things, but she will get through this…This horrible situation does not define her and she will never be.” It doesn’t define either.
The aunt of the kidnapped girl speaks to reporters during her appearance before Judge James Murphy, presiding over Craig Nelson Ross Jr., at the Saratoga County Courthouse in Ballston Spa, New York, on February 1, 2024. . (Hans Pennink, FOX News Digital)
The girl’s family told Fox News Digital that Ross Jr. remained silent as the survivor’s mother and uncle read a victim impact statement in the Saratoga County Courthouse.
His silence continued even as the judge reprimanded him for being an admitted child abductor and sentenced Ross Jr. to likely life in prison.
“As I came out of the fog, I learned that there was a man who stole my sweet, adorable 9-year-old niece from right in front of her parents, and held her captive for two days while hundreds of people searched for her. “He will be comforted,” Sena wrote, “because she, and the entire nation that prayed for her, will rot in the 6×8 cell where he will spend the rest of his life.”
Saratoga County conflict advocate Matthew Maiello, left, stands with his client, Craig Nelson Ross Jr., who pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from Moreau Lake State Park in February, but is facing federal charges. The court sentenced him to a sentence ranging from 47 years to life in prison. Judge James Murphy in Saratoga County Court on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Ballston Spa, New York. (Hans Pennink, FOX News Digital)
Flashbang and ‘movie scene’ raid to rescue survivors
Federal agents and police swarmed Ross Jr.’s neighbor’s front yard, then used flash bangs to break down the camper door on the side of his mother’s home, finding the missing girl alive in a cupboard. discovered.
“There were at least five flashbangs in quick succession,” said Michael, a neighbor who asked not to give his last name to protect his family. “It was just a scene out of a movie.”
A kidnapped girl is rescued from a camper cabinet.Kidnapping suspect arrested after leaving ransom note
New York State Police collect evidence at Craig Nelson Ross Jr.’s home in Ballston Spa, New York, on October 3, 2023. Ross was charged with kidnapping a 9-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle through Moreau Lake State Park. (Hans Pennink, FOX News Digital)
Michael and his wife took one look at the rescued girl. Her wife said she “just wanted to hold her until her mother came to pick her up and tell her she was safe.”
The couple said they felt physical relief and joy from law enforcement, who they said hugged and high-fived each other.
WATCH: Neighbors explain police preparations on eve of dramatic attack
Ross Jr.’s son had a tense exchange with Fox News Digital from his home in Porter Corners, New York.
“Yes, he is my father, but why do I have to go through this-?” he cried, without giving his name. “Everyone keeps asking me these things. I don’t know anything. I hate him. I hope he dies in prison.”
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The incident is now over. Ross Jr. may not die in prison, but the 47-year-old convicted child abductor will be in his 90s by the time he is eligible for parole.
