In the latest development of a harrowing case out of SoHo, a second suspect linked to the cryptocurrency-related torture of an Italian trader is expected to surrender to the police this week. This Swiss crypto investor, whose impending surrender was disclosed by his legal team, will soon be standing alongside John Woeltz, a 37-year-old Kentucky native already charged with assault, kidnapping, and other felonies unfolded within the confines of a Prince Street apartment, repurposed into something far from a home, as reported by ABC7 New York.
Woeltz, who was arrested and arraigned without bail, and is due back in court on May 28 as ABC7 New York noted, was captured in disheveled attire following the victim's escape and plea for help to a nearby traffic agent. This brutal scene unravelled after the 28-year-old Italian victim, reportedly worth $30 million, was lured from Italy under false pretexts and then repeatedly tortured, including electrocutions and threats of mutilation with chainsaws, as his captors sought his cryptocurrency account password.
The gravity of the situation attracted ecclesiastical attention as well, with a local priest from the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral sprinkling holy water on the steps of the building, saying, "Given what’s been happening in there, the things they’re saying happened in there, I thought it was a good idea,” as conveyed by The New York Post. The normally tranquil Lower Manhattan street has been left reeling by these events, with locals expressing disbelief that such atrocities could unfold unnoticed in their midst.
Investigators who scoured the scene found it littered with incriminating evidence including Polaroids of the victim's torture; a gun, bullets, and saw; and illicit substances strewn amidst the wreckage of the luxurious residence rented for up to $40,000 a month, after the victim took his chance to flee when the captors perhaps inadvertently hinted at a grim finality, as reported by ABC7 New York. This second suspect, a prominent figure in the Swiss trading sphere, will appear before the NYPD to face allegations pertaining to a crime that seems incongruously nestled among the silent streets neighboring a house of worship.
The victim, receiving treatment for numerous injuries at Bellevue Hospital, had been subjected to methods of torture that push the boundaries of human gruesomeness, methods that included being tied and tased, as well as being cut with a chainsaw, as per statements obtained by The New York Post. The police are continuing their investigation, speaking to two butlers at the residence who were said to be in the employ of the suspect and scrutinizing the depth of a crime that has shaken the local community as well as the international cryptocurrency stage.
