The woman charged in the kidnapping and rape of a 5-year-old girl is maintaining her innocence, according to law enforcement sources.
On Thursday, Christina Regusters, 19, along with three other people, was picked up by police from a house they searched a week earlier in their investigation of the girl’s abduction. While the other three were released, Regusters was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, rape and other related offenses.
Sources told NBC10’s Nefertiti Jaquez that during her first interrogation, Regusters claimed she had nothing to do with the crime. Regusters allegedly told police she was at home sick on January 14, the day the girl was abducted. The sources say Regusters then claimed she was home that day because she had been suspended from her job at the after-school care program where the abducted girl attended. Regusters allegedly told police she was suspended for being late to work too many times.
Jaquez spoke to Tom Kline, who represents the victim and her family, about Regusters’ claims. Kline says there are many inconsistencies with her stories.
“Being at work would provide an alibi,” said Kline. “Not being at work provides the exact opposite.”
Regusters told police she was one of the caregivers who helped older children with activities and homework, according to sources. Regusters also allegedly claimed she helped clean, feed and change most of the infants.
During questioning, Regusters told police she barely knew or had contact with the victim but did watch over her baby brother, according to sources. Kline says this is a blatant lie.
“The facts are that in December she put the hand prints of the victim and her brother on a finger-painting that was posted on her Facebook, a public website page,” said Kline. “That in of itself, with the inscription that the children were her son and daughter, tells us not only did she have a significant feeling for them but also that she had a bizarre, extraordinary view of things.”
“How do you know that the hand prints in that finger-painting are those of the victim and her brother?” asked Jaquez.
“The victim and her brother have a trait, which is a crooked pinkie finger,” said Kline. “If you look at the posting of their fingers in the paint carefully, you will see exactly that.”
Regusters remains in custody on $4 million bail.
