A former son-in-law of screen legends John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 16-year-old New York City teenager and raping her over five days, authorities said.
Victorville resident Buck Wylde Murphy, the 49-year-old ex-husband of actress Xan Cassavetes, was arrested in a San Bernardino recreational vehicle last week after allegedly forcing the girl to fly across the country, then keeping her captive from Feb. 22 through Feb. 26, according to a criminal complaint and to the private investigator who worked on the case.
The Staten Island girl's mother reported her missing to police last Monday and hired a private investigator, Sean Crowley, to track her daughter down, Crowley told NBC’s local news station in New York, WNBC.
The girl had been corresponding online with Murphy since he reached out to her on social media, according to Crowley, and the complaint stated that Murphy stalked her since September 2014.
"She was in the chat rooms that many kids today use, and this individual began to befriend her as a 19-year-old," said Crowley.
Murphy allegedly sent the teen romantic song lyrics in an email that turned out to have a virus that gathered information on the victim and her family, Crowley said.
Murphy used that information to threaten to kill the girl and her family when she initially refused his request for her to fly out to California, Crowley said. The girl then secretly flew to California on Sunday using a ticket he purchased for her.
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"He gave her very specific information about her family, that he would cause harm to them and kill them if she didn't get on that plane," said Crowley.
The victim's mother contacted Crowley when she felt police didn't take her report seriously. Crowley told NBC 4 New York he conducted an intensive investigation into the teen's phone records and tracked her to San Bernardino.
Crowley contacted authorities there, and police moved in to raid Murphy's trailer in Apple Valley and arrest him Thursday night after the girl had been captive five days. The San Bernardino Sheriff Department said he'd sexually assaulted the girl over the course of several days.
The teen was rescued and flown back to New York City, where she's back home with her mother on Staten Island, according to Crowley.
Murphy is being held in San Bernardino on felony charges of kidnapping, rape and other sex assault of a child over 14 years, showing child porn to a minor, criminal threats and stalking.
Bail has been set at $1 million; it's not clear if has an attorney. Arraignment has been rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday.
Murphy was married to Xan Cassavetes for several years in the 1990s. Her father John Cassavetes starred in "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Dirty Dozen," and her mother Gena Rowlands in "Gloria," "A Woman Under the Influence" and "The Notebook."
Gus Rosendale contributed to this report.
