Man claimed he was held captive in Carlisle Street basement

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·3 min read
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Apr. 10—WILKES-BARRE — Two people charged with the torture and killing of Nicole Cuevas whose body was recovered buried in the dirt basement of 142 Carlisle St., Wilkes-Barre, previously faced police obstruction offenses after a man claimed he was held captive in the basement last summer.

Jason Race, 43, and Faith Beamer, 39, were charged with obstruction of justice when they allegedly refused police entry into the residence to check on the welfare of an 8-year-old girl on July 27, according to court records.

Police went to the Carlisle Street residence after finding a man with facial injuries in the area of Carey Avenue and Division Street.

The man claimed he was held captive and assaulted in the basement after being accused of sexually assaulting the girl, court records say.

The man told police he escaped and ran away to summon help, giving police a description of the house with children's bicycles on the porch.

Police located the residence they identified as 142 Carlisle St.

As officers sought to check on the girl's welfare, Race and Beamer obstructed police initially saying the girl was not inside, prevented officers from entering the residence, and Race with a puffed-out chest stood in the way of officers while yelling and slamming doors, court records say.

No charges were filed against the man who had been accused of inappropriately touching the girl.

"That is part of the ongoing investigation. I will say that case is related and did occur at this residence," Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said during a news conference Tuesday when he released information that Race, Beamer and three others, Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43, her daughter Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24, and William Benjamin Wolfe, 54, were charged with Cuevas' murder.

After Cuevas' body was found, prosecutors on March 12 withdrew the police obstruction charges against Race and Beamer.

Arrest warrants were filed March 8 against Race, Beamer, Linnette, Doyle and Wolfe charging them with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault and abuse of corpse related to Cuevas' murder but they were not arraigned until Tuesday.

During Tuesday's news conference, Sanguedolce said Cuevas, 38, of Saginaw, Mich., traveled with Linnette to Wilkes-Barre in March 2023, and stayed at 142 Carlisle St. with Race and Beamer. Soon after arriving, Sanguedolce explained, Cuevas began being beaten inside the house on allegations she sexually assaulted a child.

Cuevas sought help from family in Michigan for money to buy a bus ticket to return home but ended up being held against her will, handcuffed and assaulted over the course of several weeks, Sanguedolce said.

Court records say Cuevas attempted to escape and soiled herself resulting in Race stomping on her head eventually killing her in April 2023.

Sanguedolce said Cuevas sustained a broken ankle and leg, nearly all her ribs were broken, slash and stab wounds on her arms, shoulders, torso and back, a broken hyoid bone in her neck and a missing tooth.

Court records say Beamer used her fingers to gouge Cuevas' eyes while being tortured, and was periodically fed bread and water at the direction of Linnette.