Alleged kidnap torture case dismissed by DA
The Assiad family said on Thursday they’re devastated because the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges against 3 people they said kidnapped and tortured Mussa Assiad nearly four years ago in Calexico when he was only a teen.
The D.A. shared some of the reasons for dismissing the case. They said key evidence is under court protection and is not allowed for use in a trial; other physical evidence would probably not be allowed in court because it may have been compromised; new information about Calexico police officers who worked on the case at the time might work against the victim. They also said the alleged victim has at times made false or inconsistent statements casting doubt over the incident.
Mohammed Assiad, father of the victim, blames the Calexico Police Department for mishandling or losing parts of the evidence. He said his son is still suffering from some injuries received in the alleged attack.
“The case came to a deadlock. For me and my family, we are going to move forward. We’re going to put it behind. We believe the system did not serve us and did not bring justice to my son,” Assiad said.
We reached out to Calexico Police Department for comment, but they were not available.