From the Office of the District Attorney:
Martinez – Yesterday, Monday, defendant Matthew Caruso of Newark pleaded guilty to two felonies of attempted kidnapping for rape, one count for each victim in the case. Judge Laurel Brady of the Contra Costa County Superior Court accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Caruso, 38, to nine years in state prison.
Last year, Caruso was charged with four felonies by our Office after an extensive investigation by the Walnut Creek Police Department. Caruso tried to abduct Jane Doe outside of her Walnut Creek apartment in the early morning of March 26, 2019. Fortunately, the attack and kidnapping failed, but Caruso tried to use a taser to subdue the victim before fleeing the scene wearing an elaborate disguise.
Wile the primary victim was able to fend off her attacker, a witness noticed that the suspect dropped his phone in nearby bushes during the aborted attack. A few hours before this attack, investigators discovered, Caruso drove by another victim’s residence but did not engage with this victim.
A particularly observant civilian in Fremont helped break the case with his quick thinking. The good Samaritan found disturbing notes from Mr. Caruso explaining his desire to kidnap and rape multiple victims along with zip ties and a mask in a dumpster and immediately called the Fremont police. The officers in Fremont did an amazing job of sifting through the garbage in that dumpster to locate a receipt that they ultimately traced back to the defendant.
