NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A Queens man pleaded guilty to rape, attempted murder and another charge for the violent sexual assault of a woman on a rooftop in August 2023, prosecutors announced on Monday.
According to court documents, Jerson Vasquez, 25, responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad, an online prostitution advertisement, and asked the woman to meet him at a rooftop address on 93rd Avenue in Jamaica on Aug. 13, 2023.
At the top of the building, Vasquez gave the victim $150 and the two proceeded to have intercourse, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Vasquez then started choking the woman and slammed her head into a concrete wall, and then took his money back.
According to court documents, the victim was then punched in the face and as Vasquez sat on top of her, he repeatedly slammed her head into the floor and wrapped his hands around her neck applying pressure.
Vasquez then took the woman's cellphone and left her on the rooftop. Video surveillance from the crime scene shows Vasquez exiting the location with what appeared to be blood on his neck and hand, prosecutors said.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for a laceration to the back of her head that required staples to close. She had extensive swelling on her head, face and neck.
Vasquez pleaded guilty to attempted murder, rape and patronizing a person for prostitution. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25, when Vasquez will be ordered to serve 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision.
"This was a brazen and brutal daytime attack," Katz said. "The defendant raped a woman on a Jamaica rooftop and slammed her head into a concrete wall, choked and punched her. Thanks to her brave testimony, we were able to charge this defendant with rape and attempted murder. We hope that with this plea, the survivor can begin the healing process from this traumatic event."
