Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty Thursday in an Arizona courtroom to two counts of harassment through a telecommunications device for texting ransom notes to the family of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC's Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Callella is expected to receive two concurrent five-year probation terms at his sentencing in September, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Initial Charges and Guilty Plea
Callella was initially charged with transmitting ransom-related communications in interstate commerce and making anonymous harassing telecommunications calls. The charges stem from a series of events following the abduction of Nancy Guthrie from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
A day after the abduction, CBS affiliate KOLD in Tucson received a message demanding a ransom for Guthrie and including a Bitcoin wallet address. The Guthrie family, including Savannah Guthrie, her brother Camron, and sister Annie, shared an emotional plea on social media on Feb. 4, asking the kidnapper to contact them. That same day, Annie Guthrie and her husband Tomasso Cioni received separate text messages that read, “Did you get the bitcoin were (sic) waiting on our end for the transaction,” according to the charging document.
Investigation and Arrest
Investigators traced the texts to an IP address originating from Callella’s home in California. He also called the Guthrie family after finding their phone number online, disguising his identity using a voice over internet protocol program. FBI agents arrested Callella at his home and read him his Miranda rights. He then admitted he sent the messages to see if the family would respond and phoned them shortly after texting.
On July 1, the FBI office in Phoenix issued a statement on social media regarding the Guthrie case, noting that they and other law enforcement agencies have received several ransom notes during the investigation. “Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy,” FBI Phoenix wrote on the X platform. “Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”
Ongoing Investigation and Emotional Pleas
Savannah Guthrie made another emotional plea on the Today show last month, urging her mother’s abductor to come forward after a report suggested a ransom note claimed she was dead. “Somebody knows something. We are in agony and we cannot be at peace,” she said tearfully. “No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy — and I will, I promise I will — this is the moment to tell you we need your help, we’re begging for your help and I’m not going to miss that opportunity.”
More than a week after Guthrie’s disappearance, investigators released home security camera footage and photos showing a masked and armed individual at her door. Blood stains were also found at and near the home’s front entrance. No further information about the suspect or additional arrests has been released.
