Former NCAA wrestler convicted of assaulting women at local ranch loses bond bid

A former NCAA wrestler convicted of beating up one woman and sexually assaulting another at his Coachella Valley ranch will not be allowed to post bond pending the results of his appeal, a judge ruled today.

Wayne Eric Boyd, 74, of Sky Valley was sentenced on April 8 to two years in state prison stemming from his August 2019 conviction on one felony count each of criminal threats and assault with intent to commit rape, as well as two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of sexual battery for crimes he committed between May and September 2016.

His attorneys filed his appeal the same month, seeking his release on bond pending the results of the appeals process, a request that was denied by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling.

Boyd, who was being held without bail in county jail, was remanded to the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to continue serving his sentence, according to prosecutors.

Sterling imposed a sentence on the lower spectrum of what the defendant could have received, citing Boyd's age and lack of prior criminal history, among other factors.

At his sentencing hearing, Boyd pleaded for bail while the verdict is contested, arguing he needed to remain home to care for his mentally ill son.

"I've lost everything over this case," he said. "I've lost my reputation. I've lost my company. I've lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in earned income."

The case dates back to Sept. 11, 2016, when sheriff's deputies went to Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage to investigate allegations by a 25-year- old woman. Boyd was arrested a day later.

The woman, identified only as "Bree Doe," told deputies Boyd slammed her to the ground when she and her friend were about to leave his ranch to go to a concert, according to a brief by Deputy District Attorney Gypsy Yeager.

The victim said he then punched her in the face and delivered repeated elbows to her head. Bree said that her friend -- identified only as "Vivienne" -- worked for Boyd and lived at his home, and that she was visiting her when she was attacked.

The women were in their 20s at the time of the crimes. One is now 29 years old, and the other is 25.

Bree also said that he mistreated Vivienne, who described her time at the defendant's property as 5 1/2 "months of slavery, psychological, physical and emotional torture," according to the prosecution's brief.

"She said that he would subject her to many angry speeches' in where he tells her, 'Nobody (expletive) with Wayne Boyd.' He told her that he had killed a man before and had poked the eye out of another man and bit his nose
off," court papers stated.

Vivienne said she was frequently sexually assaulted and subjected to other forms of abuse. One time, Boyd repeatedly kicked her and fractured seven of her ribs, according to the prosecution.

She told deputies they met in Los Angeles, where Boyd promised her a job that paid $500 per week, but that he never paid her. He told her he was a movie producer and wanted her to play a role in his films, originally pitching the idea of starring in a show he produced called "About Town," according to the prosecution.

Boyd's LinkedIn page said he produced, directed and wrote feature and documentary films, including "One More Shot," "Champion of Champions" and "Blood, Guts, Glory, Wrestling."

Boyd's lawyer, Christopher Desalva, has alleged that the prosecutor made inappropriate statements during closing arguments and accused witnesses who testified in Boyd's defense of delivering "scripted" statements.

"The implication … is that the evidence was doctored or manipulated in some way,'' he said.

Boyd won three Virginia state wrestling championships in the 1960s in high school before enrolling at Temple University, where he won multiple championships and was inducted into the Temple University Hall of Fame, according to the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club website, which Boyd co-founded.

A statement from the wrestling club, attributed to Boyd, said he would be "vigorously pursuing" an appeal and that all the charges were "totally unfounded, especially in light of the fact that the prosecution granted the victim immunity for perjury and theft of money from me."

Boyd resigned from Titan Mercury Wrestling Club following his conviction, the statement reads.