02/05/09

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) _ An eastern Idaho woman took the stand to
describe the beginning of a 15-year relationship with a man accused
of torturing her over a period of nearly four months near the end
of the relationship.

The unidentified, 49-year-old woman on Wednesday described in
Idaho's 6th District Court the relationship as turning into
psychological and physical coercion that started a few months after
she met Jose Manuel Sanchez.

Sanchez, 61, has pleaded not guilty to 112 counts of felony
aggravated battery _ one count for each day he is accused of
torturing the woman.

He is accused of coming to the woman's home in the evening and
burning the woman's genital region and buttocks with a wood-burning
tool.

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Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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