SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. – A 20-year-old man from Riverhead, whose identity is being withheld, has pleaded guilty to the rape of his younger cousin whom he babysat for over a period of four years.
The announcement was made by Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
According to court documents and the defendant’s own admissions during his plea allocation, the heinous act started in August 2018 when he moved in with the victim’s family and took on the role of babysitter to his two cousins.
The victim was five years old at the time, and her brother was two years old.
Between August 2018 and March 2022, the defendant repeatedly raped the victim when he was alone with the children. The abuse was reported in March 2022 when the victim’s six-year-old brother witnessed an incident and subsequently revealed it to their mother.
On Friday, the defendant pleaded guilty before County Court Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, to the charge of Rape in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony. He is due to return to court for sentencing on September 6.
