NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A man was indicted for severely sexually, physically, and psychologically abusing a teenage girl for more than a year, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Rayshawn Weir, 25, was charged with rape, stalking, and unlawful imprisonment, among other charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. said.
“As alleged, Rayshawn Weir kept this child in a perpetual state of fear and pain over the course of 15 months,” Bragg said. “Only when bystanders intervened as he allegedly attempted to strangle her at the Port Authority bus station did this horrific abuse come to an end.”
According to court documents, Weir allegedly met the then-15-year-old girl in August 2023 when he sold her an electronic tablet on Facebook Marketplace.
He then allegedly started to repeatedly assault her that fall. He began by hitting and punching her, and beating her with items including a mop, a broom handle, and a heavy book, according to prosecutors.
Weir also at one point allegedly grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into a tiled bathroom wall. He routinely strangled her until she became dazed, lost vision, or felt numb in her limbs, according to the indictment. He also often told her it was time for her to die, prosecutors said.
Throughout this period of time, Weir also allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the girl, who was under the age of consent. On one occasion this fall, he forcibly raped her and, that same night, raped her while she was asleep, prosecutors said.
Weir also allegedly regularly insulted and emotionally abused the victim, isolating her from others and ensuring she complied with his demands. When she managed to leave his apartment—where almost all of the abuse occurred—he allegedly harassed the girl with constant texts, videos, and voice messages, saying, in substance, that if she did not return, he would dedicate all of his energy to harming her and her mother.
Prosecutors allege that he went to her family’s apartment, sending her photos to prove his presence and threatening to shoot her and her family through text and voice messages. They further claim that he warned her against reporting him to the police, threatening harm to both her and her mother, and, at one point, kicked in the door to her apartment building.
On Nov. 3, Weir allegedly strangled the girl at the Port Authority bus station. Bystanders stepped in, and when police arrived, he tried to run. Officers chased him and arrested him a short distance from the bus terminal.