FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Man Sentenced to 17 Years to Life in Prison for Sexual Assault
Defendant Grabbed the 62-Year-Old Victim as She Walked to Work
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 17 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in Stuyvesant Heights. The victim was walking to work when the defendant grabbed her by the hair, pushed her into an alley and assaulted her.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This horrific and violent attack on an innocent woman shocks the conscience, and the depravity of the crime warrants today’s lengthy prison sentence. We are steadfast in our commitment to seeking justice for all victims of sexual violence and continuing the progress we have made making Brooklyn safer for everyone.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Leroy Hatcher, 44, of Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 17 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted criminal sexual act and first-degree sexual abuse on May 30, 2024.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on February 6, 2021, at approximately 5:45 a.m., the victim, who was 62 years old at the time of the attack, was walking to work in the vicinity of 482 Kosciuszko Street, in Stuyvesant Heights, when the defendant approached her, grabbed her by the hair and put his hand over her mouth. She struggled to get away. He told her to be quiet, pushed her toward an alley, and put a knife to her throat.
Furthermore, the District Attorney said, he pushed her toward the ground, grabbed her about the body, removed her pants and underwear, and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, according to the investigation. He then left the area.
Surveillance video recovered from multiple locations captured the defendant in the area and he was identified by a detective and by his parole officer. A condom recovered from the alley had the defendant’s DNA as well as the victim’s DNA. The defendant was apprehended on February 24, 2021.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gwen Barnes and Assistant District Attorney Sherri Litvak, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.
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