DELIVERY PERSON INDICTED FOR RAPING WOMAN IN HER UPPER WEST SIDE APARTMENT

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of CESAR LUCAS, 16, for raping a woman in her Upper West Side apartment in September. The defendant is charged in New York State Supreme Court with Rape in the First Degree, Sexually Motivated Burglary in the Second Degree, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. On October 24, 2012, LUCAS was arraigned in New York State Supreme Court on a separate indictment charging him with one count of Burglary in the Second Degree for unlawfully entering a different woman’s apartment on August 21, 2012, with the intent to commit a crime.[1]

“Women should not have to sleep with one eye open for fear of intruders,” said District Attorney Vance. “The defendant is not only charged with committing a rape, but with doing so in the presence of the victim’s child. I commend the victim for her tremendous courage in coming forward.”

According to documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court, in the early morning hours of September 29, 2012, after delivering a pizza to a neighboring apartment, LUCAS illegally entered the victim’s apartment while she slept. According to the charges, the defendant then raped the victim while her child slept next to her in the same bed. Following the attack, LUCAS allegedly fled, and the victim immediately contacted her doorman to report the crime.

LUCAS is also charged with unlawfully entering a different woman’s apartment on West 42nd Street a month earlier on August 21, 2012, and stealing her wallet after making a delivery to a neighboring resident.

Assistant District Attorney Shawn McMahon is prosecuting the rape case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Martha Bashford, Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Coleen Balbert, Deputy Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit. Assistant District Attorney Dana Lai is prosecuting the burglary case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney William Darrow, Jr., Chief of Trial Bureau 70.

Defendant Information:

CESAR LUCAS, D.O.B. 1/28/1996
Bronx, NY

Charges:

Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a class D felony, one count
Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, one count



[1]: The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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