A disturbing kidnapping saga has come to a close as Philadelphia man Eric Alamo, 48, has been convicted on multiple charges. Alamo was found guilty of kidnapping, robbery, and other offenses related to a November 2021 incident where he held a man hostage and extorted his family for money.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the ordeal began in the Kensington section of the city, when Alamo and accomplices duct-taped their victim to a chair and violently assaulted him before demanding money through CashApp. The situation rapidly escalated as Alamo took the man at gunpoint to coerce his wife and 9-year-old son to similarly surrender their belongings and funds.
Assistant District Attorney Kyle Russell detailed how Alamo's victim was coerced into having his wife bring money and drugs to them, subsequently forcing her to withdraw money from an ATM. Per a report from CBS Philadelphia, the wife managed to inform her sister of the dire situation before being taken to the Lincoln Hotel in Bensalem together with her husband and child.
At the hotel, the horror continued as Alamo threw the husband into the bathtub, still bound by duct tape, and coerced the wife into sending more funds via CashApp. The prompt intervention by the victim's wife's sister to call the authorities likely saved the family from further harm. Police were able to rescue them after the husband managed to softly urge officers for help upon their arrival. "I'm grateful for Assistant District Attorney Kyle Russell’s skilled prosecution of this case," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in statements obtained by NBC Philadelphia. He commended the "excellent and collaborative connection between police and the DA’s office."
"I'm very pleased that the victims can now put what happened in 2021 behind them, and they can begin a new chapter," Russell told the PhillyVoice. The case was a grim testament to the violence that shadowed underbelly dealings in the city. The presence of Alamo's own child during the hostage situation added a particularly painful dimension to the crime. The kid is now under the care of a relative.
