Confession Came After Duress, Suspect in Girl’s Slaying Says : Crime: A Los Angeles man accused of kidnaping and killing Nadia Puente, 9, of Santa Ana testifies at a pretrial hearing.

A Los Angeles man accused of sexually molesting and killing a 9-year-old Santa Ana girl testified Tuesday that he confessed to the crime because he felt threatened by the police investigators who questioned him.

“I thought they were going to rough me up,” said Richard Lucio DeHoyos, who faces a possible death penalty in connection with the March 21, 1989, slaying of Nadia Puente.

DeHoyos, however, did not recant his statements to the investigators and even testified that they were “very polite” during the interrogation.

“They didn’t touch me and they didn’t holler at me, but my mind was working other ways,” he said.

DeHoyos’ testimony was offered during a pretrial hearing on a defense motion to exclude his confession as evidence. The motion was denied by Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey. Opening statements in the trial are expected to be made today.

Milton C. Grimes, DeHoyos’ attorney, said his client has “serious mental problems” and is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.

“His mental condition had a lot to do with his actions,” Grimes said.

DeHoyos’ mental state came into question Tuesday when, during a break in the hearing, he growled and barked at a photographer who took his picture, prompting the bailiffs to escort him out of the courtroom.

“He’s done that in the past when he feels anxious,” Grimes explained after the hearing.

DeHoyos, who was arrested April 1, 1990, in San Antonio, Tex., has been charged with kidnaping, sexually assaulting and killing the Puente girl, whose body was found in a trash can near Griffith Park the day after she disappeared while walking home from school.

After the arrest, police said DeHoyos was linked to the crime by “physical evidence,” which included fingerprints. Also, when he was in jail in Texas, DeHoyos confessed to the crime to reporters, saying he killed the child while high on cocaine.

DeHoyos’ testimony Tuesday was often confused and contradictory. He said that when he was arrested in Texas, he thought that the officers were creditors who wanted to repossess his car because he was late on payments.

He testified that, at first, he denied involvement in the crime but confessed to it as the officers laid out their evidence. “After so much denying, I gave in,” he said.

Nadia’s mother, Sara Puente, attended Tuesday’s hearing, bursting into tears as she listened to DeHoyos’ testimony. She had to be helped out of the courtroom by friends and relatives.

Outside the courtroom, Puente angrily talked about the defendant.

“Did you see him growl?” she said, referring to DeHoyos’ earlier outburst. “ . . . He acted like a dog. That’s exactly what he is. A dog that is dangerous and can attack and has rabies. There is no cure for that. The only thing that’s left to do is to put him to sleep.”