Peninsula Man Sentenced to 23 Years for Holding Woman Hostage During Robbery

A 21-year-old Redwood City man was sentenced to over 23 years in prison for holding a 66-year-old San Mateo woman hostage for hours in her own home while robbing her last year, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Hugo Munguia-Hernandez Jr. was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Barbara Mallach, prosecutors said Thursday.

Munguia-Hernandez was burglarizing the victim’s home on Edinburgh Street in the Aragon neighborhood when she got home from grocery shopping at about 12:30 p.m. March 17, 2014, prosecutors said.

The victim lived alone and Munguia-Hernandez first attacked her and used a stun gun on her neck, face and arms multiple times, according to prosecutors.

He then gagged her with a sock and told her would kill her, her family and burn down her house if she reported him to police, according to prosecutors.

Munguia-Hernandez bound the woman’s wrists and ankles, covered her head with bags and put her in the master bedroom closet for hours, prosecutors said.

The victim spent much of the night tied to a chair in the hallway with a bag covering her head while Munguia-Hernandez stole her TV, jewelry, wallet and used her ATM card multiple times, according to prosecutors.

He made her strip and shower the next day to remove the remnants of tape from her face, prosecutors said.

The woman was able to free herself and call police after Munguia-Hernandez left, according to prosecutors.

Police identified him after they released his image from a video system at a Bank of America, prosecutors said.

Officers arrested him 12 days after the crime and found the stun gun and some of the stolen goods at his home, according to prosecutors. He was convicted earlier this year of 12 charges, including kidnapping, robbery,
assault and identity theft.

Judge Mallach found Munguia-Hernandez to be dishonest and apathetic about his victim’s survival in the attack, prosecutors said.

--Bay City News Service