A South County couple who allegedly videotaped themselves having sex with a preschool-age relative were ordered Tuesday to stand trial on 88 counts each in a child molestation and kidnapping case.
If convicted, they could face five life sentences, one for each time they are accused of deceiving the child's parents into letting them keep the little girl overnight.
A sheriff's investigator testified during the preliminary hearing that David Hwang, 32, and his wife, Sheila Sikat, 24, told the girl's parents that they wanted to be baby-sitters for the child to practice parenting skills.
Instead, the Rancho Santa Margarita couple filmed lengthy sex sessions with the girl, authorities say. When Hwang and Sikat were arrested in September, police allegedly found a trunk in the couple's bedroom containing more than 200 homemade videotapes involving various children.
Defense attorneys argued Tuesday that the kidnapping charges should be dropped because the couple did not use force to abduct the child.
But the deceit of the parents, coupled with the activities observed on the seized videotapes, warranted the kidnapping charges, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Costello.
The investigator testified during the first portion of the hearing April 8 that the couple's tapes and CDs showed six children being molested. Detectives believe five of the girls — including an 8-month-old — were molested in Texas, where Hwang once lived and where he will be extradited after the Orange County trial.
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-molest21apr21.story
If convicted, they could face five life sentences, one for each time they are accused of deceiving the child's parents into letting them keep the little girl overnight.
A sheriff's investigator testified during the preliminary hearing that David Hwang, 32, and his wife, Sheila Sikat, 24, told the girl's parents that they wanted to be baby-sitters for the child to practice parenting skills.
Instead, the Rancho Santa Margarita couple filmed lengthy sex sessions with the girl, authorities say. When Hwang and Sikat were arrested in September, police allegedly found a trunk in the couple's bedroom containing more than 200 homemade videotapes involving various children.
Defense attorneys argued Tuesday that the kidnapping charges should be dropped because the couple did not use force to abduct the child.
But the deceit of the parents, coupled with the activities observed on the seized videotapes, warranted the kidnapping charges, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Costello.
The investigator testified during the first portion of the hearing April 8 that the couple's tapes and CDs showed six children being molested. Detectives believe five of the girls — including an 8-month-old — were molested in Texas, where Hwang once lived and where he will be extradited after the Orange County trial.
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-molest21apr21.story