What prosecutors describe as several days of terror inside a Rock Springs home as a many allegedly held a woman captive for days and threatened to murder her cat is now headed for trial.
Jake Thomas Canestrini, 24, pleaded not guilty last week in Sweetwater County District Court to a string of felony charges accusing him of holding his girlfriend captive while repeatedly beating, strangling and torturing her with a razor blade, a kitchen fork and a knife.
The not guilty pleas came one week after a judge found there was enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to send the case to district court.
The allegations first surfaced in June after the woman escaped the home and told police she had survived days of escalating violence that left her afraid for her life.
How It Started
The woman told investigators the abuse began May 30, shortly after her parents left town.
She and Canestrini had been dating for about three years and were living together at her parents' Rock Springs home.
Not long after they were alone, she said Canestrini threw her to the ground several times and refused to let her leave, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in his case.
"Every time she tried to get up and run, the woman said, Canestrini would yank her by the hair to keep her down," Rock Springs Police Officer Tiffany Harris wrote in her affidavit.
On June 2, Canestrini allegedly called the woman's employer himself and told them she would not be coming to work.
The woman told investigators every attempt to resist or escape only brought more violence.
Razor Blade, Fork And Knife
The allegations became increasingly disturbing as the days went on.
Court records allege Canestrini used a razor blade to cut the woman's thighs, hips, stomach and arm. She also reported being stabbed in the upper back and buttock with a kitchen fork.
She told investigators that during one confrontation, Canestrini allegedly pressed a kitchen knife against her throat.
"I will f***ing murder you," he allegedly told her.
The woman reportedly told police he also said, "I will murder your cat. I will murder your f***ing family if you get the cops involved. I will wait 20 years so I can kill you,” the affidavit says.
The woman says she was strangled multiple times during the ordeal, telling investigators there were moments she couldn't breathe and believed she was going to die.
Medical records cited in the affidavit indicate that a physician later diagnosed her with a concussion.
Escape
The woman eventually managed to escape.
When officers found her, they documented what court records describe as numerous visible injuries that they believed matched her account of days of abuse.
Investigators later searched the residence and collected additional evidence before Canestrini was arrested.
Cowboy State Daily left a message for Canestrini's attorney, Joseph August Hampton, asking what forms the basis of his client's not guilty plea and if Canestrini disputes the allegations in the charging documents.
Hampton did not respond before publication.
November Trial
Barring a plea agreement or other resolution, a Sweetwater County jury will begin hearing the case Nov. 2.
Canestrini remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, he faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
Under Wyoming law, kidnapping is punishable by 20 years to life in prison if the victim is not voluntarily released substantially unharmed in a safe place before trial.
He also faces additional prison time if convicted of the remaining felony charges.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
