Kidnapping survivor tells of terrifying moment he was snatched from his bed then had penis chopped off

A kidnapping subsister has shared the terrifying infinitesimal helium was snatched from his bed, had his penis chopped disconnected with a zip-tie, and was near for dormant successful the Mojave Desert. 

Michael, the proprietor of a palmy marijuana dispensary, and his housemate Mary Barnes were abducted from their Newport Beach location successful October 2012. They were blindfolded and gagged and their ankles and wrists were bound with zip-ties.

The kidnappers utilized a stun weapon connected the antheral unfortunate earlier they were placed successful a van and driven much than 140 miles into the California desert. One of the kidnappers told Barnes that if she cooperated she wouldn't get hurt. 

The 2 men bushed and tortured Michael utilizing a blowtorch and a taser and severed his penis earlier dousing him with bleach. During the sadistic act, the kidnappers laughed. 

Before fleeing, they threw 1 of the knives into the desert, which Barnes recovered and was capable to escaped herself with. She staggered to the roadworthy and flagged down a car. It was a deputy with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. 

Barefoot and traumatized, she urgently told the lawman her person needed assistance and took them to the nonstop determination wherever helium was. 

The antheral unfortunate was lying connected his broadside bloodied with his arms and legs bound. His pants had been pulled down and helium was successful and retired of consciousness. 

As the lawman got closer, helium made the horrifying discovery, and called for backup. 

ABC News Studios' is acceptable to aerial the riveting caller true-crime bid 'Wicked Game: The Devil successful the Desert,' that begins streaming Tuesday, lone connected Hulu.

It was aboriginal revealed that the gruesome enactment was each portion of a twisted crippled successful pursuit of a buried treasure of $1 cardinal successful currency successful the Mojave Desert. Authorities believed the mastermind was Hossein Nayeri. 

The three-part bid highlights the years-long probe that spanned sting operations, an planetary search, a situation interruption that Nayeri captured connected cellphone - and a courtroom showdown betwixt pb Orange County authoritative Matt Murphy and Nayeri.    

More than a decennary aft the heinous crime, Barnes spoke astir the fearfulness she endured on with the antheral victim, who spoke lone connected audio, successful an exclusive clip shared with DailyMail.com.

'I went to furniture astir 10.30pm. The location was quiet,' she recalled.

'I near the store astatine 11.30pm truthful I was successful furniture by 12am, 12.15am I passed retired connected the small sofa futon thing,' Michael said.

'The adjacent happening I retrieve is being dependable dormant with my look successful the pillow and feeling thing acold and metallic property against the backmost of my cervix and it was the tube of a pistol,' Barnes said.

The antheral unfortunate recalled, ‘I aftermath up to a sound and determination is idiosyncratic determination with a shotgun.’

Barnes added, 'my archetypal thought was, ohio nary thing truly atrocious is going to happen.’

The docuseries showcases uncommon grounds stills, bodycam and dashcam videos of gripping cardinal moments, recorded constabulary interviews with the victims and suspects, and features caller interviews with the pb prosecutor, lawman counsel and pb detective connected the case.  

Michael, who was lone 28 astatine the time, owned a palmy marijuana dispensary, during the aboriginal days of aesculapian marijuana.

Matt Murphy, a elder lawman territory attorney, who worked connected the lawsuit told DailyMail.com that the kidnappers ne'er recovered the stash of wealth successful the godforsaken and compared it to 'Ali Baba's treasure.'  

One of the kidnappers, aboriginal identified arsenic Kyle Handley, was a cookware trader successful Fountain Valley, who occasionally did concern with Handley, adjacent accompanying him connected antithetic trips but months earlier the transgression fell disconnected the radar, The Los Angeles Times previously reported.

During the trial, Michael - who miraculously survived but ne'er recovered his assemblage portion - testified against the men who mutilated, disfigured, and tried to termination him. 

Barnes besides testified on with Nayeri's erstwhile woman Cortney Shegerian, who was the cardinal to the prosecution.

Shegerian went into item astir however she purchased 4 burner phones - and helped acceptable 1 of them up, utilizing nutrient successful an effort to poison the antheral victim's parent's dog, arsenic per the quality outlet. 

She besides testified that she had witnessed Nayeri utilizing a blowtorch weeks earlier the abduction, and claimed that helium had surveillance connected the antheral victim.

Shegerian, who is present a lawyer, met Nayeri erstwhile she was 16 and helium was 23. She claimed Nayeri was 1 of the lone radical helium 'trusted.' She initially lied to constabulary but aboriginal cooperated to debar prosecution.

She aboriginal told prosecutors that the narration with Nayeri was 'twisted' and 'emotionally abusive.' 

But, her practice led constabulary to apprehension him aft helium returned to California from Iran to spot her, and was instantly arrested erstwhile helium walked disconnected the plane.

Orange County Senior Deputy Attorney Matt Murphy told the quality outlet: 'She's a hero.'

In 2016, portion awaiting his trial, Nayeri escaped from the California situation done the prison's vent system. He conspired with 2 different inmates. They were each captured aft a monolithic manhunt ensued and they were captured aft a week connected the run. 

In 2019, Nayeri was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage proceedings and sentenced to beingness without the anticipation of parole. 

Handley, 38, was convicted by a assemblage of kidnapping, aggravated mayhem and torture and sentenced successful 2018 to beingness without parole. 

Ryan Kevorkian, 42, was sentenced to 12 years and 4 months successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to kidnapping, burglary and battle and fixed recognition for clip served, Orange County Register previously reported. 

Kevorkian's woman Naomi Josette Rhodus, 41, was arrested successful 2013 arsenic an accessory to the crime, and successful 2022 sentenced to 3 years of informal probation, arsenic per the LA Times.

Nayeri, present 46, emigrated to the US from Iran and moved to Fresno, California erstwhile helium was 13. He met his 2 accomplices, Handley and Kevorkian, erstwhile the trio went to Clovus West High School.

He was a prima wrestler. He joined the marines earlier helium was 'generally discharged,' and was facing a transgression complaint for a drunk driving clang that killed his friend, but fled to Iran, Murphy told DailyMail.com.

Murphy, a erstwhile prosecutor, who has been progressive successful the Rodney Alcala, the Dating Game Killer, and the Golden Gate Killer probe described Nayeri's lawsuit arsenic thing 'unique' successful his acquisition arsenic a DA for 26 years.

The mode this was planned if we had done a hunt and gotten everyone of their devices each of their devices would person been wholly cleanable due to the fact that each the connection astir the conspiracy were connected burner compartment phones and each the information downloads were connected a burner laptop computer. Never seen that before.'

They instrumentality each these elaborate steps. Hossein did not privation his woman to cognize who each the players were, helium said successful part, truthful portion of it was a antheral who was thriving connected controlling everyone else, everyone is precise constricted connected the accusation they have, but besides precise clever. 

Murphy described this transgression arsenic a 'wagon instrumentality conspiracy' helium said, wherever you've got 1 idiosyncratic successful the mediate and antithetic spokes going out. 

A batch of times the spokes person nary thought who the different spokes are but they are each playing a relation organized by the halfway person. 

'When Michael was archetypal interviewed helium 'legitimacy had nary thought who would privation to wounded him.' He described him arsenic a morganatic businessman who did everything close and did not adjacent fume marijuana.

But, besides spoke astir the acheronian broadside and the elaborate strategy that took place.

'The marijuana satellite started with blessed hippy guys that is however it started successful California, but present it is simply a clump of ruthless murdering criminals each spot arsenic vicious and gnarly arsenic cause dealers successful immoderate different realm of the cause satellite and this is simply a cleanable example.'

'You person guys similar Michael who don't adjacent fume marijuana. A morganatic businessman who did everything right,' helium said.

He spoke of the inhumane enactment the unfortunate endured. 

'As acold arsenic wanton acts of sadistic cruelty I've ne'er seen a lawsuit similar this,' helium said.

'He (Hossein Nayeri) didn't get what helium wanted and a antheral was sexually mutilated for life. It was perfectly horrific.'