New York

Sentenced for Kidnapping, Torturing 2 NY College Students

What to Know

  • Prosecutors say the young men were mistakenly targeted for retribution for a drug-related robbery
  • Two men were each sentenced to 35 years in prison.
  • Two women received 15- and 13-year sentences.

Four of five defendants who admitted to their roles in the kidnapping and torture of two University of Rochester football players have been sentenced for the crime.

State Supreme Court Justice Alex Renzi said the victims are "never going to be the same, physically or mentally" before handing down the defendants' agreed-upon sentences Wednesday.

Dennis Perez and Elliot Rivera each received 35-year prison sentences, while Samantha Hughes got 15 years and Leah Gigliotti received 13 years.

The two women helped lure the victims to the home where they were held captive and abused for 40 hours in December 2015.

The students were wrongly targeted in retaliation for a drug-related robbery allegedly committed by a teammate.

Renzi said there's no question the victims thought they were going to die.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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