14-year-old accused of raping Mastic Beach woman in front of daughter during home invasion
MASTIC BEACH, N.Y. -- Investigators say they have made a shocking arrest after a Mastic Beach mother was sexually assaulted in a home invasion.
As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reports, the alleged rapist is a 14-year-old boy, now held without bail.
The 23-year-old mother, who has been released from the hospital, has moved from the Mastic Beach home where she was strangled, stabbed, robbed and brutally raped on April 19.
"This is a case that is both shocking and extremely disturbing," Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
Police say the video they distributed of the perpetrators led to tips and eventually a DNA profile that matched the violent rape scene. The suspect is a 14-year-old youth.
"Upsetting given the age of the offender, as well as the underlying facts of the case," Tierney said.
Horrified neighbors helped the young woman as she ran naked from her home, clutching her 4-year-old after the two suspects had fled.
"She walked over here holding daughter's hand. I thought they were playing 'til I realized the woman, one, what she had on, turned out she was bleeding from her head bad. Like, her whole body covered with blood," neighbor Dennis Naughton said.
The victim and her child had been trapped upstairs.
"The victim heard noises downstairs, but she assumed it was her husband who had come home early from work," Tierney said.
They quickly locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom, but the suspects broke down the door.
"The defendant, who was armed with a knife, began to rape the victim in front of her daughter," Tierney said.
They then stabbed and slashed her.
"Once I was informed about this heinous act, I wanted to make sure that I have the best investigators handling this case," Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said.
They made an arrest within 24 hours. The accomplice of the alleged rapist remains at large. Sources say they know who they are looking for.
"I just hope they get whoever was doing it, you know? It's not a good thing," neighbor Chris Chew said.
"One on the loose and nobody's talking. Somebody knows something ... And that person, whoever it is that's hiding them, I'm sorry, they should be convicted of it as well," neighbor Laura Levay said.
The 14-year-old was arraigned. remanded and, because of his juvenile status, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. The hunt for his accomplice continues.