(Maybely Centeno photo)
CHARLESTOWN (WBZ-AM) — Neighbors who spoke to WBZ NewsRadio about Victor Pena, the man accused of kidnapping 23-year-old Olivia Ambrose and holding her in his home for three days, said he had a history of creepy behavior toward women—and now, his ex-girlfriend is sharing disturbing details about their relationship.
As Pena undergoes a court-ordered 20-day mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, here's what we know about him.
Ex-Girlfriend Speaks
Maybely Centeno lives in the Bunker Hill housing development, the same one where Ambrose was found alive Tuesday afternoon in Pena's apartment. Centeno told WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe she dated Pena for about six months in 2012.
Centeno said that, at first, Pena was handsome and a great guy—but that he changed, becoming angry, controlling, and aggressive with her. She claims he punched and pushed her.
She claims Pena installed a special lock on his door that kept people inside from getting out unless he unlocked it with a key, and that he used to lock her inside the apartment, too. According to court documents, when Boston Police converged on Pena's Walford Way apartment in the search for Ambrose Tuesday, they had to drill through the lock to get the door open.
One day, Centeno said, Pena approached her with his right hand behind his back, telling her he had a question for her: "How do you want to die—fast or slow?"
Terrified, she said she left the apartment while he was sleeping that night and never went back, filing a restraining order against him.
Neighbors Knew Him As 'The Pervert'
Neighbors in the development told WBZ NewsRadio that Pena was known as a "creepy guy," who would routinely follow young women around the complex on his bike. Several others said Pena was known to frequent Haymarket Square on Saturdays to try to pick up women coming out of bars.
Katrina McDonald said that young girls living at the Bunker Hill development often referred to Pena as "the pervert," and tried to stay away from him.
McDonald, who works at Dollar Tree in Charlestown, said Pena would come into the store and just stare at the girls.
"At work, I would see him look at them in a seductive way, look at them, check them out, so I'm glad he's gone from our neighborhood," she said.
Sabrina Barros just moved into an apartment at Bunker Hill with her young children, and was disturbed to hear the news.
"Oh, it's terrifying, because I'm new out here, so I was thinking I was in a safe area," she said. "Now, I'm trying to stay in the house as much as we can, keep up precautions, and just keep ourselves safe."
Brother Speaks Out In Suspect's Defense
Speaking to WBZ-TV, Victor Pena's brother Jose Pena said the kidnapping suspect was not a monster—and claimed Ambrose went with his brother willingly, which Boston Police said was obviously not the case.
"Only those two people and God know what happened that day," Jose Pena said. "But I tell you this right now, she went on her own will, and I'm 100 percent positive ... The only thing he said—'She went with me, I don't force her, I don't grab her.'"
"We grew up together," Jose told WBZ-TV. "This is not my brother's mentality. If she's kidnapped, she should be with a rope, or something in her mouth. When the police opened the door, she was standing right next to my brother in the kitchen ... I can guarantee something is missing here, from A to C is missing the B, it is something missing here.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports