A 14-year-old boy in Long Island has been accused of raping a young mom while her 4-year-old daughter was in the same room. The teenage boy was arrested and charged after breaking into the victim’s home last April.
According to NBC New York, authorities are searching for an accomplice of the suspect who both broke into the Mastic Beach home last month. In a news conference, District Attorney of Suffolk County, Ray Tierney said the pair were both wearing masks when they broke into the home around 3:15 pm on April 19, with the 23-year-old victim thinking it was her husband returning home from work.
Police said the suspects demanded cash from the young mom and while the accomplice was searching the house for items to steal, the teenage boy who was left alone in the room with the victims, decided to sexually assault the mother in front of the child. The teen suspect was armed with a switchblade leaving the woman helpless to defend herself and her child.
The boy then dragged the mother into the hallway and continued to rape her. When he was done, Tierney said the teen dragged the woman back into the room where the child was hiding. When he tried to get a grip on the child and drag her into the hallway, the mother fought back to protect her daughter. The teen strangled and slashed the mother on her face and stabbed her in the chest. Both suspects fled on foot after the incident. The mother was treated for her injuries and received stitches and staples on both her chest and her face.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said the teen had confessed to burglary but pleaded not guilty to rape as well as to charges of sexual assault, strangulation, and endangering the welfare of a child. However, he agreed to submit samples of his DNA which matched the DNA gathered from the victim. Suffolk County Supreme Court said the teen will be charged as a juvenile and due to his age, his identity cannot be publicly disclosed. He is being held without bail and can face up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted on all charges.
The boy’s defending lawyer, Christopher Gioe said his client maintains his innocence on the rape charges and that they intend to fight the charges throughout the investigation.
