New York man, 64, dies after being beaten while being held hostage with his wife in their home for more than 24 hours by their house guest who claimed to be a CIA agent
- Doru Vaduvescu, 64, was held captive with his wife, Mimi, by their house guest
- Truman Delaney lived with the couple for four months, having met them online
- 46-year-old accused the couple of being spies and allegedly held them captive
- He nailed their bedroom door shut and stole their credit cards, police say
- He allegedly beat Doru and when he went to the bank to get cash, Mimi screamed for help from a window
- Police rescued them and the pair identified Delaney but Doru died the next day
A 64-year-old man has died after he and his wife were held hostage in their Lower East Side home by a man claiming to be a CIA agent, authorities say.
Doru Vaduvescu, 64, was held captive alongside his wife, Mimi, allegedly by their house guest Truman Delaney, 46, who they met on a CIA-themed Facebook chat six months ago.
Delaney reportedly lived with the couple for four months up until last Thursday, before accusing them of being spies and bludgeoning Vaduvescu, who was able to identify his killer before dying of a heart attack in hospital the following day, police say.
Doru Vaduvescu, 64, (not pictured) was held captive alongside his wife, Mimi (pictured right), allegedly by their house guest Truman Delaney, 46, who they met on a CIA-themed Facebook chat six months ago
According to police, Delaney sent a private messages to the couple telling them he needed help ‘to complete his missions.’
But after four months the suspect allegedly lost control and nailed their bedroom door shut, taking their credit cards and beating Doru until they gave up their pin numbers, authorities say.
When Delaney left to go to the bank, Mimi yelled out the window for help.
Police responded to the home after getting a 911 call from an alarmed neighbor who said she believed someone was being held hostage.
Vaduvescu, who suffered broken ribs and a broken finger in the assault, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest the next morning and died.
Police have not ruled the death a homicide, with the official cause of death to be determined by the medical examiner, police said.
But after four months the suspect allegedly lost control and nailed their bedroom door shut and took their credit cards, authorities say. When Delaney left to go to the bank, Mimi yelled out the window for help (their home in pictured)
Delaney is currently being psychologically evaluated at Bellevue Medical Center following his arrest last Thursday.
The Vaduvescu’s neighbor Claire Rahri, 62, said she’d seen Mimi talking to a stranger in her native Romanian recently.
The couple had lived in the building for more than 30 years, Rahri said.
Doru Vaduvescu retired a few years ago from his construction job and Mimi still worked in a clothing factory, the neighbor said.
‘They’re very nice people,’ Rahri said. ‘(Doru) used the bike every morning. Everywhere they go, they go together. To the park, shopping, always together.
‘When it gets hot in the summer, they sit on the stairs. As long I known them, they are always together,’ she told NYDailyNews.