DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Enver Zueros, the California man accused of kidnapping an 89-year-old woman in Summerville, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to burglary and kidnapping and was sentenced to 50 years in prison, prosecutors announced Monday.
Zueros, 35, was already out on bond in California for attempted murder when he traveled to South Carolina in March. Prosecutors say he had ties to the victim’s family and was trying to extort money, possibly through a past marriage affiliation with the woman’s brother.
On March 9, Zueros went to the woman’s home, claiming he had thrown a football into her backyard. Once inside, he attacked her with bear spray, then bound her wrists and ankles with duct tape, according to the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
The abduction was interrupted when a neighbor—who routinely helped the victim with her trash bins—noticed Zueros inside. When questioned, Zueros lied and claimed the woman was hospitalized after a fall. Suspicious, the neighbor left to get a firearm.
In the meantime, Zueros forced the woman into the back of her own car, placing a plastic bag over her head, and fled the scene. A multi-agency search involving Summerville Police, North Charleston Police, and the FBI quickly identified Zueros as the primary suspect.
Authorities located the vehicle in North Charleston, where they found the woman alive, still restrained in the floorboard of the car. Zueros was arrested the next day in Aiken County.
He was initially charged with first-degree burglary, kidnapping, and attempted murder. In a plea deal, Zueros admitted to the kidnapping and burglary charges and was sentenced by Judge Heath Taylor to 30 years for kidnapping and 20 years for burglary, served consecutively.
Chief Deputy Solicitor Kelly LaPlante led the prosecution, and Solicitor David Pascoe praised law enforcement for their swift response and rescue of the elderly victim.
