FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wedneday, December 21, 2021
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 20 Years to Life in Prison for Sexually Assaulting
20-Year-Old Woman in Brownsville Park
Defendant Offered to Walk the Victim Home, Then Raped and Robbed Her
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the rape and robbery of a 20-year-old woman in a public park in Brownsville. A DNA match connected the defendant to the crime.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a horrific attack that left a young woman traumatized and a community shaken. With today’s sentence, the defendant is held accountable for this deplorable crime. I am committed to bringing to justice those who commit such brutal acts of sexual violence.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jason Lopez, 44, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 20 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Donald Leo. He was convicted of first-degree rape and third-degree robbery following a jury trial in May.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on December 1, 2018, at approximately 2 a.m., the defendant approached the 20-year-old victim near Herzl Street and Dumont Avenue as she was trying to assist a friend to get home from a party.
The defendant asked the two women if they needed help. He then hailed a cab and helped the friend into the cab before offering to walk the victim home. The defendant then grabbed the victim by the wrist and led her into Betsy Head Park, where he asked if she wanted to have sex. When the victim refused, the defendant pushed her to the ground and raped her.
The defendant then ran off with the victim’s cellphone and purse as the victim yelled. She immediately reported the rape to a bystander she spotted on the street. The bystander called 911 and brought the victim to the 73rd Police Precinct. DNA from the victim’s sexual assault evidence kit matched the defendant’s DNA, which was on file from a prior felony conviction. He was arrested on December 15, 2018.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sapna Kishnani, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Kevin O’Donnell, Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.
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