You know, anime fans–hell, people with “nerdy” interest in general–get a bad rap for being antisocial, out of touch with the rest of the world, and have never known contact of someone of the opposite sex; hell, the word otaku itself is a derisive term meaning “house” (albeit as an honorific), implying that they have no life whatsoever aside from surrounding themselves with objects of their obsession. Granted, the term doesn’t have nearly as negative a connotation it does in the West, and many of us can and have gone out of our way to point out that being an anime/manga/gaming fan is but one aspect of our personality.

And then a story like this comes along and the collective rest of the community shoot off a death glare and proclaim, “That’s. Not. Helping.“

Wilfred Camaligan, 22, of Chicago, was arrested this passed Friday after two months of holding a woman captive in his apartment. He’s ultimately charged with kidnapping, aggravated domestic abuse, and attempted murder. The two met at Anime Central in Illinois, which he frequented.

A friend of the show, and a personal friend of the victim, told us that Camaligan came to her home in Michigan during June and took her back with him to his apartment in Chicago, and that was the last face-to-face contact she had with her family for two months. Her family didn’t know about it at the time, and the message on the victim’s Facebook telling people not to worry didn’t help matters. Any attempts to reason with her were dismissed by the victim as subversive and/or treacherous. The Facebook account in question has since been deleted.

Camaligan forced the victim to kneel on rice and cut herself, and personally carved an X-shaped scar into her right breast. He would also beat her with sticks and a crowbar, and would choke her until she passed out. She was allowed to leave and run an errand on Friday, which she used to contact the police and have Camaligan arrested. Among the injuries she sustained, according to police, were a fractured shoulder blade and hearing loss in one ear. She was treated at Resurrection Hospital in the Chicago area.

Something else that has to be ascertained: a trial date. Judge Adam Bourgeois denied bail to Camaligan, considering his actions “beyond the pale,” and told him, “I don’t think there’s any condition or set of conditions I could set that would protect the community from you.”

“It is a phenomenal blessing that [the judge] denied this monster bail,” our friend of the show added.

We here at Anime Jam Session wish all the best for that woman and wish her a speedy recovery.