Arraignment set for man accused of seducing teen

Kim Smith

Wednesday, July 24, 2002 | 9:26 a.m.

A Las Vegas man accused of seducing and kidnapping his best friend's 14-year-old daughter will be arraigned next month on 13 felony counts in connection with the case.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace William Jansen ruled Tuesday that there is enough evidence to try Carlos Andres Matute, 27, on 13 of the 16 charges he originally faced.

If convicted of kidnapping alone, Matute could face a life sentence. He also faces several statutory sexual seduction, home invasion, burglary and open and gross lewdness counts.

The girl, now 15, was one of a handful of witnesses called to the stand by prosecutor Lisa Luzaich Rego Tuesday.

The soft-spoken girl told Rego through a Spanish-speaking interpreter that she only agreed to come to court so she could see Matute. When asked to describe what Matute is to her, she said "the man that I love."

Gazing at Matute frequently, the girl acknowledged she had sex with Matute. She explained that it was "an expression of love."

She said Matute asked her to become his girlfriend on Dec. 26 and they became intimate after Valentine's Day, meeting at both her apartment and his.

The girl said both she and Matute understood it was illegal for them to have sexual intercourse.

A handcuffed and shackled Matute stood as the girl paused by his table on her way out of the courtroom. He was told to sit down as the girl was ushered outside by bailiffs and corrections officers.

The girl's father testified that he met Matute 18 months ago after he began working with Matute's wife. Eventually, they moved into the same apartment complex as the Matutes.

One evening in May, the girl's father said he and his wife arrived home from work early to find Matute and his daughter in the apartment naked. Although he told Matute to leave and never come back, he said Matute began stalking the girl.

Within days of the May incident, the girl's father said they moved into another apartment complex, but Matute found them.

On June 1 Matute kicked in the apartment door and the police were called. When the police arrived, the father said, Matute was gone. Several moments later, he realized the girl had left while he was talking to police.

She was found one week later with Matute at a friend's house after the media began running stories on her disappearance.

Matute will be arraigned by District Court Judge Donald Mosley Aug. 6.