Terry Ward, a 64-year-old man from Richmond, Virginia (United States), was arrested on charges of tying his wife to a chair with duct tape and leaving her in the basement so he could watch a football game upstairs without being interrupted.
Police intervention
The episode, as reported by the US media, occurred on Sunday 11 October, shortly after 11.30pm, when local police officers intervened in a house in the 2200 block of Maplewood Avenue, where a domestic dispute had been reported. The woman told police she was taped to a chair and locked in the basement, while her husband was upstairs watching television.
A nightmare that lasted between 30 and 45 minutes, also confirmed by the marks on both of the victim’s arms, where there were evident traces of adhesive tape. According to the criminal complaint filed in the local court, the 64-year-old openly admitted to the police that he had acted to watch the match “in peace”.
The admission
According to official documents, investigators obtained an explicit confession from the suspect directly at the crime scene. After police intervention, Ward was formally arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault on a family member. His first court hearing has been set for November 10.