ST. LOUIS — Charges have been dropped against three men previously accused of kidnapping and holding a woman captive at a St. Louis church.
The highly-publicized case saw its end on Friday when prosecutors dismissed all charges against Grace Kipendo, Munga Fungamali and Pasi Heri.
Kipendo, one of the accused, shared his emotions exclusively with 5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend.
He and his lawyer had maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal. Kipendo said he's overwhelmed with emotions following the dismissal of charges.
In February, St. Louis police arrested the trio after a woman said they had kidnapped and assaulted her at Mount of Olives Ministry in south St. Louis.
The woman told officers the men kidnapped and beat her. According to a probable cause statement, officers found the woman bound with rope and bleeding from her head.
Kipendo, who sat in jail for two months and wore a GPS monitoring braclet for six months, said he still doesn't know why the woman made the accusations against him.
"It was tough," he said.
The monitoring device was removed from his ankle just before he spoke with Townsend on Friday, which he said was an emotional moment.
"I had to hold back tears, didn’t want to sob in front of everybody," he said.
Kipendo's attorney, Chris Combs, said he was "thrilled" with the outcome.
"I always thought this case was going to fall apart. It was a major rush to judgment," Combs said. "There’s no evidence to support the case."
The reasons behind the prosecutors' decision to drop the charges were not disclosed.
Despite the ordeal, the Army lieutenant and father of a newborn baby said he's relying on his faith.
When asked if he was confident about rebuilding his life, he said, "With the help of Jesus Christ, I will."
Kipendo plans to celebrate by organizing a barbecue reunion with Fungamali, Heri and their families.