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Three Suspects Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Churchgoer With 'Pack-Like Mentality,' Queens DA Says
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2017
Modified Jul 15, 2017
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2017
Modified Jul 15, 2017
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The three people arrested for allegedly forcing a woman leaving church to perform oral sex on them were arraigned on Friday afternoon. Julisses Ginel, 19; Brandon Walker, 20; and Justin Walker, 17, were all charged with first-degree criminal sex act, and all are being held on $500,000 bond/$250,000 cash bail.
"The crimes that the defendants are accused of committing that night are despicable and are deserving of significant punishment. It is alleged that with a pack-like mentality the defendants and an unapprehended fourth man set upon a defenseless woman coming from church and, not content to simply rob her at gunpoint, two of them are alleged to have subjected her to heinous acts of sexual abuse," Queens D.A. Richard Brown said in a statement. "In addition, two of the defendants allegedly held up three innocent men at gunpoint the following evening and robbed them of their personal property.”
On Tuesday, around 10:30 p.m., prosecutors say that the three men, plus a fourth man, were involved the harrowing crime: Williams, holding what appeared to be a gun, allegedly confronted a 50-year-old woman, who was leaving the Celestial Church of God on Liberty Avenue near 150th Street in Jamaica Queens, and asked her for her money and cell phone. From the Queens D.A.'s press release:
The victim allegedly dumped the contents of her bag onto the ground and Williams took her cell phone and MetroCard. It is alleged that defendant Walker then approached and demanded that she take off her clothes. The victim is alleged to have complied with the demand, at which point it is alleged that Williams and Walker demanded that she perform oral sex on them.
It is additionally charged that when the victim refused to comply defendant Ginel and another
male, unidentified, approached and Ginel yelled something to the effect that if she didn’t do as demanded then they would shoot her. Finally, it is alleged that Walker and Williams had the victim perform a sexual act on each of them.
The fourth suspect, who is still at large, also allegedly forced the woman to perform oral sex.
The victim later claimed that she told her assailants that she was HIV positive to prevent them from raping her. DNAinfo reports, "Ginel said he was at the scene of the crime and saw the woman naked, but denied partaking in the act itself, according to prosecutors. 'I went to get condoms to help out my boys,' Ginel said. 'When I returned the third one was finishing.'"
Ginel, Walker and Williams live at a group home on South Road. A worker at the home reportedly tipped off police about the group's involvement in the incident after hearing them talk about the attack. According to the NY Times, "The arrests raised questions about supervision at the shelter, which is funded and overseen by New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development. Three attacks have occurred around the time or after the shelter’s curfew rules, as described by the city, generally require residents to be back in the home. SCO Family of Services denied that the city’s curfew information was accurate, but declined to provide its own."
Queens prosecutors also say that Williams confessed to being involved the robbery of three men around 10 p.m. in front of 147-12 105 Avenue on July 12, along with Ginel and a third suspect. Ginel allegedly claimed he was just the look-out.
In 2015, three teens were convicted after sneaking out of a Brooklyn group home and robbing and raping a woman in Chinatown. The group home was later shuttered.
Tagged
celestial church of christ
jamaica
queens
sexual assault
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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