LAS VEGAS (ABC 4 Utah) - Two men impersonating LDS missionaries are believed to be responsible for a violent home invasion. The fake missionaries allegedly beat up and robbed a family at gun point in Las Vegas.
A pair of imposter Mormon missionaries gave a Las Vegas family the scare of their lives."I figured that they were just going to kill me," said Terence Delucia, home invasion victim. Terence Delucia said back in June, he answered the door to two men, captured on surveillance cameras. They had white shirts and ties and were pretending to be missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But when Delucia turned around to go back into his home, they fake missionaries attacked him."Something went around my neck. A hand went around my mouth and I screamed for my wife," said Delucia. Delucia said he was beaten and pistol whipped. His wife and daughter heard his cries, but they hide themselves in their bedroom closets."I just wish I would have thought to do something else other than hide in the closet, but I was really scared," said Ida Delucia, home invasion victim. Delucia said he eventually showed the men the family savings they kept in a kitchen cookie jar, totaling $3,000. The phony missionaries ran out with it. Tuesday the LDS church shared the following statement about the incident: "We are saddened by this senseless crime. Thankfully, impersonating missionaries is very rare."Salt Lake police tell Reporter Brian Carlson they haven't seen it either."I don't remember anything like that occurring here at least recently within the last few years," said Lt. Carl Merino, Salt Lake City Police Dept. For Delucia, all he knows is he's relieved the imposter missionaries didn't harm his family."When I see them up and coming towards me, I knew they were alive and I was one happy man," said Delucia.
The fake missionaries are still on the loose. The first man is described as a white male, in his 20's, about 5'7" or 5'8", and 145 lbs. The second is a black male also in his 20's, between 5'10" and 6'1" and 200 lbs. If you recognize either one of them, call police.
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Follow Brian Carlson on Twitter: @briancarlsontv Reported by abc4 22 hours ago.
A pair of imposter Mormon missionaries gave a Las Vegas family the scare of their lives."I figured that they were just going to kill me," said Terence Delucia, home invasion victim. Terence Delucia said back in June, he answered the door to two men, captured on surveillance cameras. They had white shirts and ties and were pretending to be missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But when Delucia turned around to go back into his home, they fake missionaries attacked him."Something went around my neck. A hand went around my mouth and I screamed for my wife," said Delucia. Delucia said he was beaten and pistol whipped. His wife and daughter heard his cries, but they hide themselves in their bedroom closets."I just wish I would have thought to do something else other than hide in the closet, but I was really scared," said Ida Delucia, home invasion victim. Delucia said he eventually showed the men the family savings they kept in a kitchen cookie jar, totaling $3,000. The phony missionaries ran out with it. Tuesday the LDS church shared the following statement about the incident: "We are saddened by this senseless crime. Thankfully, impersonating missionaries is very rare."Salt Lake police tell Reporter Brian Carlson they haven't seen it either."I don't remember anything like that occurring here at least recently within the last few years," said Lt. Carl Merino, Salt Lake City Police Dept. For Delucia, all he knows is he's relieved the imposter missionaries didn't harm his family."When I see them up and coming towards me, I knew they were alive and I was one happy man," said Delucia.
The fake missionaries are still on the loose. The first man is described as a white male, in his 20's, about 5'7" or 5'8", and 145 lbs. The second is a black male also in his 20's, between 5'10" and 6'1" and 200 lbs. If you recognize either one of them, call police.
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Follow Brian Carlson on Twitter: @briancarlsontv Reported by abc4 22 hours ago.