FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Rape of Woman Near Prospect Park
Defendant Grabbed the Victim as She Walked Home,
Sexually Assaulted Her Multiple Times
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 32-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in the early morning hours of November 18, 2018, after approaching her from behind and putting her in a chokehold. The defendant was convicted on December 15, 2022 following a jury trial.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Keeping our streets safe from violent sexual predators is a top priority and I am committed to seeking justice for victims of sexual assault. This was a vicious, life-altering attack that profoundly affected the victim and her family. It took great courage for her to testify at trial and ensure that this defendant would be held accountable for his actions.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mowngly Lucas, 32, who was living in a Queens homeless shelter at the time of his arrest. He was sentenced today to 20 years in prison and 15 years’ post-release supervision by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Heidi Cesare. He must also register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. The defendant was convicted of first-degree rape, third-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, third-degree robbery, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, and fourth-degree criminal mischief following a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on November 18, 2018, at approximately 5 a.m., the victim, who was 59 years old at the time of the attack, was walking on Parkside Avenue at Parade Place when she was grabbed from behind by the defendant, who put her in a chokehold and told her he had a gun and a knife.
The defendant then dragged the woman to a bench across the street from Prospect Park and told the victim to pull down her pants and lie on the ground and then he raped her. Furthermore, the defendant then dragged her over to a white commercial van parked on Parkside Avenue and raped her again.
Finally, the defendant put his arm around the victim’s neck, causing her to have difficulty breathing. He then broke a window on the van and demanded that the victim get into the van. He then entered the van, sexually abused the victim and raped her a third time. He then stole money from her purse and fled.
The defendant was arrested by New York City Police Department detectives assigned to the Brooklyn Special Victims Squad on November 28, 2018, following an investigation.
The District Attorney thanked Paralegal Supervisor Melissa Palmaccio of the Special Victims Bureau and Lawrence Washington, of the DA’s Multimedia Services Unit, for their assistance on the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Linda Weinman, Counsel to the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau and Senior Assistant District Attorney Sapna Kishnani, also of the Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.
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