Man on trial for attempted kidnapping of Fresno City College professor

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno City College professor took the stand in court on Wednesday - recounting the terrifying moment she says she feared for her life at the hands of a student.

"You came around the corner and you found the defendant unannounced in your locked backyard with a gun?" asked Deputy District Attorney Jason Conklin in court.

"Yes," responded the professor.

"What did you do?" Conklin replied.

"I told the lord that I might see him that day," the professor answered.

Action News wasn't allowed to name or show the professor's face.

She's a key witness in the prosecution's case against Rodolfo Brambila, who investigators say wanted to kidnap the professor during an incident in December 2020.

"They found a stun gun with a spare stun gun cartridge. They found on the defendant's person handcuffs, zip-ties, chains with padlocks," said Conklin.

The incident came after months of communication between Brambila and his professor.

Text messages shown in court for the first time Wednesday reveal persistent requests to meet the professor in person. All turned down.

"We can figure out what to do from there. I cannot meet in person," explained the professor.

"His response to that?" Conklin asked.

"'I cannot take it anymore. I'm about to do something unthinkable," the professor recalled.

Prosecutors say the 59-year-old eventually showed up at his professor's home, putting his hand around her neck and flaunting a gun.

Brambila has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, false imprisonment, and four counts of assault with a firearm.

With his fate now up to a Fresno County jury, Brambila's attorney, Jonathan Richter, pushed back, using his opening statement to tell a different side of the story.

"And that doing this is completely out of character for him. And that, therefore, the only explanation is some sort of mental breakdown," said Richter.

The jury will continue hearing evidence Thursday and attorneys say the trial could last for up to three weeks.

For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.