David Renz: Sex offender who 'killed librarian and raped her daughter, 10,' was beaten on his first
Sex offender who 'killed librarian and raped her daughter, 10,' was beaten and suffered a broken nose on his first day in jail, authorities say
- Suspect David J. Renz was charged on Friday with murder, rape and kidnapping
- He was assaulted by other inmates at the Onondaga County Justice Center during his first day in jail
62
View
comments
Suspect: David Renz, 29, has been charged with murder, rape and kidnapping in connection to a deadly carjacking or a woman and her daughter
A man accused of killing a Syracuse woman and raping her 10-year-old daughter during a carjacking was beaten and suffered a broken nose on his first day in jail, authorities said.
David Renz had a swollen face and tissues stuffed up both nostrils when he appeared in federal court Friday to face a probation violation charge.
'I have a broken nose,' he told his lawyer, according to The Post-Standard in Syracus.
His attorneys, James Greenwald and Kenneth Moynihan, said Renz was assaulted by other inmates at the Onondaga County Justice Center, where he was taken following his arrest Thursday night.
Sheriff Kevin Walsh told the newspaper he was looking into why Renz was put into a holding area with other prisoners - not the usual practice in holding someone facing such accusations.
Walsh said Renz has been segregated from other prisoners and is being watched around the clock.
'We're dealing with a man who is innocent until proven guilty,' he said. 'He's got to be protected.'
Renz was arraigned Friday morning at a court in East Syracuse on charges that he abducted the mother and daughter as they left a gymnastics class in the Syracuse suburb of Clay.
Police said Renz raped the girl and stabbed the mother to death before fleeing into some woods. The 10-year-old girl escaped and was found by a passing motorist, who dialed 911.
Renz was captured a short time later.
He had been previously charged with having child pornography cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle before carjacking a woman, fatally stabbing her and raping her 10-year-old daughter.
Renz abducted the school librarian and her daughter as they left a gymnastics class at a mall in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, about 150 miles west of Albany, on Thursday night.
Renz bound both victims, raped the girl and drove a short distance to a spot where the girl escaped and was found by a passing motorist, troopers said.
The motorist told 911 dispatchers he saw a man running away from the scene, allowing police to quickly send in officers on the ground and a sheriff's helicopter in the air. Renz was caught a short time later near a wooded area.
RELATED ARTICLES
Friends of lawyer mother who jumped to her death with her... 
Substitute teacher, 44, 'raped 13-year-old student over...
Share this article
ShareThey believe Renz tied up the woman and the girl and then raped the 10-year-old in a deserted area of the mall parking lot shortly before 9pm on March 14.
It was unclear how the girl escaped or when her mother was killed, authorities said.
Police are still piecing together the timeline of the crime, but their best guess is that after assaulting the girl, Renz drove down a nearby rural road.
That’s where they think the woman, 47, who worked at an elementary school, was stabbed to death.
The girl managed to escape the scene and run down the road and was aided by a passing driver. The child's name has not been released.
The girl sustained injuries from the attack and currently being treated at a hospital. Her mother died from multiple stab wounds.
Suspect: New York State Police lead David Renz out of the North Syracuse state police barracks Friday, March 15, 2013. Renz, 29, abducted a school librarian and her daughter as they left a gymnastics class
Photos of Renz, too, are being withheld for fear they could ‘pollute the investigation,' New York State Police Captain Mark Lincoln said in a Friday morning press conference.
‘It’ll be released down the road,’ Captain Lincoln said.
Police seem sure, however, that the suspect did not know the victims personally.
Renz fled the scene on foot, into nearby woods, where he was apprehended by police without a struggle.
The suspect was arraigned Friday on murder, rape and kidnapping charges and was held without bail. The lawyer assigned to his case, Ken Moynihan, didn't return a call seeking comment.
Renz appeared a his arraignment with a swollen face and a broken nose after being assaulted by inmates at the Onondaga County Justice Center, CNY Central reported.
Following his court appearance, the 29-year-old suspect was returned to jail, but placed into protective custody. Renz is also being guarded for now, but he will not be transferred to a different facility.
The 29-year-old had been charged in January with possession of child pornography and allowed to remain free under terms that included staying off the Internet and away from places including schools, parks and arcades.
He lost his job at a supermarket, moved in with his mother and hadn't been able to find other work after his arrest, according to court documents.
According to an FBI criminal complaint, agents who went to the North Syracuse apartment where Renz was living in June found in his bedroom four computers that he told them he used to view adult pornography.
Agent Alix Skelton said Renz eventually admitted using the Internet for the past six years to download child porn to a drive on one of the machines, which he turned over to the agents. Technicians determined in November that it had an encrypted hard drive, and Skelton said Renz provided the encryption key.
Agents reviewing the drive in December found about 100 gigabytes of child porn comprising more than 500 videos and more than 3,000 images, according to the complaint.
Among the images were two showing sex acts involving prepubescent girls, said Skelton, a member of a unit that targets people involved in online exploitation of children.
Crime scene: New York State Police investigate a car involved in a fatal carjacking on Verplank Road, Clay, N.Y
Renz was charged on January 9 in federal court with possession of child pornography. On Jan. 29, a judge granted a prosecutor's request for an extension of the time required for grand jury action so investigators could continue going over 'numerous items of electric media' for additional evidence.
Renz, who authorities said had no prior police record, was released after agreeing to stay at home at night with an electronic monitor and away from any place he might encounter children.
But Renz removed the monitor, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney John Duncan said. Federal probation officials were investigating what happened, including whether Renz was able to get around an alert that is supposed to go off if the ankle bracelet is removed, he said.
Late Friday afternoon, state police turned Renz over to federal authorities, who will hold him for violating the terms of his release, court documents said.
Duncan said the cases against him will continue in federal and state courts.
In an interview with Syracuse.com Friday, a former manager and trainer of David Renz described him as a courteous and intelligent employee who had worked at the James Street Wegmans since his teens.
The manager recalled that the 29-year-old was always willing to help customers and was 'trusted' by his superiors.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Fc4WTb25vZ3SWw6qwjIucp7JdiLK5ec6fnZ6mlJq%2FbrfIpaOenF2htqO%2BwKugmqZdp66xscNmm5qtl53Bpr6MamdmmpWWwaa6jJ2YsmWalratesetpKU%3D