Kidnapping Victim Identifies Attacker

Looking frail and speaking with a slight tremor in her voice, a Balboa Middle School nutritionist told jurors Wednesday how she was kidnapped and beaten by a soft drink deliveryman.

Evelyn Mancini, 52, identified her attacker as 35-year-old Terry Lee Stephenson, who is charged with carjacking and one count of kidnapping.

But during opening statements Wednesday, Stephenson’s attorney told jurors that this was a case of mistaken identity. It was still dark out, the attacker wore a hooded sweatshirt and fumbled with the gear shift of Mancini’s truck, which would have been unusual for a delivery truck driver, defense attorney Steven Powell said.