2 on trial in bizarre kidnap case
By Natalie Singer
Seattle Times staff reporter
The elements of a made-for-TV movie were all there: a long-running lovers' spat marked by threats, a violent break-in, a kidnapping and, of course, a getaway.
But the events weren't playing out on the Lifetime Movie Network. Instead, a King County jury on Thursday began to hear about the bizarre case of an aspiring Hollywood actress, her nephew and the estranged husband they are accused of kidnapping.
Bonita Money and her nephew Lewis "Cash" Money are charged with first-degree burglary and kidnapping and second-degree assault in a case with more twists and subplots than a B movie. In opening statements Thursday, attorneys for each side, predictably, had very different stories to tell about what happened the night of the alleged kidnapping.
At the center of the trial is the disputed kidnapping of Bonita Money's estranged husband, Zeljko Misic. According to charging papers, Bonita Money and her nephew tried to force Misic to accompany them to Las Vegas to testify on behalf of Lewis Money in an upcoming criminal trial.
But the defense claims there was no kidnapping and that Misic went willingly - only they never made it to Las Vegas.
"In a word, it's control," said King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney James Ferrell.
Misic was dependent on his wife, Bonita Money, for everything, Ferrell said - he worked for her business but never received a paycheck. An immigrant from Bosnia, he was waiting for her to sponsor him so he could become a permanent U.S. resident.
Ferrell said Misic had a tempestuous relationship with Bonita Money, who had roles in a handful of forgettable movies like "Lambada," "Phoenix the Warrior" and "Terror in Beverly Hills." In 1992 she got into a well-publicized fight with "Beverly Hills 90210" star Shannen Doherty outside a Los Angeles nightclub.
After years of strife, Misic and Bonita Money had finally split up for good and Misic moved from their home in Las Vegas to the Seattle area in early 2005, Ferrell said.
On the night of Oct. 12, 2005, Misic was at home in Lake Forest Park with his sister and two relatives. Misic's estranged wife, her nephew and an acquaintance, James Luther Still, burst through the front and back doors in "a coordinated attack," Ferrell said.
They used death threats and beatings to force Misic, who had a broken leg from a motorcycle accident, to leave the home with them, according to police reports and the prosecutor. While the family called 911, the three took Misic to a hotel in Federal Way, Ferrell said.
They were angry in part because Lewis Money had taken the blame for Misic when the two had been in an auto accident together, Ferrell said. Misic had no license, so Money said he had been the driver. Police eventually arrested Money. The three wanted Misic to return with them to Las Vegas to testify in Lewis Money's trial, according to charging papers.
Their original plan, to fly Misic back to Las Vegas, went out the window when they realized they had forgotten to grab Misic's identification and couldn't purchase an airline ticket, the jury was told. When they saw news reports that they were wanted for kidnapping, they forced Misic to call police and say that he had gone with them willingly, Ferrell said.
Later, according to police reports, Misic said he was taken by force.
James Still later pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful imprisonment and one count of first-degree burglary.
The Moneys' defense attorneys characterized Misic as an illegal immigrant who took advantage of his wife's kindness. After the two split, said attorney Brad Meryhew, Bonita Money discovered financial irregularities in her books, irregularities that Misic refused to talk about.
Misic hid his ongoing relationship with the Moneys from his family and knew that they were coming to see him the night of the alleged kidnapping, Meryhew said. After telling police the truth - that he had left willingly - Misic then consulted with his family and changed his story, lying about injuries he said the kidnappers inflicted, Meryhew said.
The motive? Misic believed that if he were a victim of domestic violence, he could more easily obtain legal-immigrant status, Meryhew said.
Testimony is expected to continue today.
