Woman brings food to neighbor, then is kidnapped, beaten, forced to strip, MO cops say

A woman was kidnapped, beaten and forced to strip by her 60-year-old neighbor, according to Missouri officials.

The St. Louis woman went over to her neighbor’s home on Saturday, Sept. 7, to give him a plate of food — but then he wouldn’t let her leave, court documents say.

While she was visiting his home, the neighbor, identified as Robert Anzalone, suddenly became very angry, believing that she had stolen money from him, a probable cause statement said. She tried to leave, but Anzalone stopped her.

Armed with a metal bat, he hurled threats and ordered her to take off her clothes to search her. Though she complied, investigators say he hit her with the bat anyway, then rifled through her purse and stole several belongings, according to documents.

She was not allowed to leave or make any phone calls, but after being trapped in the home for about 30 minutes, she was able to answer a call from her boyfriend and told him she was in danger, investigators said.

She took her chance to escape and ran out the front door, but Anzalone saw her flee and chased her, documents said.

The boyfriend saw Anzalone pursuing her and came to help, the statement said. Anzalone struck him repeatedly with the bat, but he continued to fight back until Anzalone retreated to his home, documents said.

The couple then called police.

When officers arrived, Anzalone said that he was actually the victim and that the woman and her boyfriend had attacked him, but “the evidence did not support this claim,” documents said.

Anzalone’s attorney, however, said his client was the victim in a Sept. 18 statement to McClatchy News.

“Based on the information available to me at this time, the St. Louis Police Division appears to have made a grievous mistake. Mr. Anzalone was the victim in this case, robbed and then assaulted when he tried to stand up for himself. The police, however, are often uninterested in the truth — they just want to clear a scene,” attorney Steven Kratky said.

Records show Anzalone was booked Sept. 8 on charges including assault, kidnapping, armed criminal action and robbery.

“Defendant has numerous felony convictions and has served multiple terms in prison,” officials said in court documents. “Victims express great concern about (Anzalone) should he be released.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Woman brings food to neighbor, then is kidnapped, beaten, forced to strip, MO cops say."