Two men accused of torturing a 27-year-old man and holding him captive inside a remote California Valley trailer were charged Thursday with several felony counts.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges Thursday afternoon in superior court against Daniel Andrew Zeller, 42, and Philip Clyde Williams Jr., 44.
Men accused in California Valley torture case plead no contest to assault
Top 10 Stories of 2011: No. 9 — East county torture tale was shocking
Suspects in California Valley torture case plead no contest to assault charges
California Valley men accused in bizarre torture case plead no contest
Man tells of being locked inside a cupboard in a trailer in California Valley
Check out our photo gallery of people arrested in SLO County on suspicion of committing felonies and read about their alleged crimes. See photos »
Zeller and Williams face felony charges of torture, false imprisonment by violence, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.
Both men are being held at San Luis Obispo County Jail.
As part of the case filed by Deputy District Attorney Louise E. Comar, the men face 13 enhancements that could add many years to a prison sentence if they are convicted.
News of the alleged torture came to light Friday when the purported victim escaped from an isolated home on Camarillo Road north of Soda Lake, where he said he was being held.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the 27-year-old victim told deputies that he had been held for three days inside a trailer in California Valley and repeatedly burned with a blowtorch, hit with a hammer and stabbed with a fork.
Investigators have confirmed that the alleged victim and suspects knew each other, but they said they are unsure about the nature of their relationships.
The owner of the property where the trailer is located, 87-year-old Leora Mae Wadhams, could not be reached for comment. However, The Tribune has learned that she is married to one of the suspects in the case. Marriage records from Clark County, Nev., show that Wadhams married Williams on June 14.
A resident in California Valley said she was surprised by the union between Wadhams, an active member of the Mormon church in Atascadero, and Williams.
“Phil lived with his parents near Leora’s place,” said California Valley resident June Salinas. “I saw them at church one day, and she said they got married. I was surprised but not shocked. A lot of strange things go on out here.”
It is unclear how much, if anything, Wadhams knew about the kidnapping and torture.
Williams appeared in San Luis Obispo County court yesterday for unrelated drug charges.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.