DARLINGTON, S.C. AP – Hands swollen from where they had ripped off their duct tape bonds, two teen girls told police a harrowing tale last year: A man they knew had kidnapped them and raped them in an underground bunker near their mobile home.

Their account launched a four-day manhunt, led to the arrest of a convicted sex offender and helped pass legislation that would allow the death penalty for some repeat child molesters.