Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Monday, July 18, that a Bronx man has been charged with predatory sexual assault, rape, a criminal sexual act along with other additional charges for attacking three women over the course of six days during separate incidents in his Eastchester apartment.
In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “The defendant is charged in a 23-count indictment with allegedly raping two women and sexually assaulting another during three separate incidents. He allegedly strangled two of the victims. In one of the incidents, a woman was rescued by police after she sent a message to a restaurant on a food-delivery app. We will seek justice for the victims.”
According to the investigation by the NYPD and case put forth by the prosecution, on June 13, the defendant, Kemoy Royal, 32, of Pratt Avenue in the Eastchester section of The Bronx, allegedly met with a 27-year-old woman whom he had been speaking to on a dating app for a few days and invited her to his home. Royal later allegedly raped the victim and forced her to perform sexual acts on him. He also performed sexual acts on the victim without her consent.
According to the district attorney’s office, at around 7 p.m. on June 14, Royal met the second victim, a 26-year-old woman, on the street, and claimed he knew her through a friend. Royal allegedly lured her to his apartment, refused to let her leave and threatened to kill her. He then allegedly attempted to force her to perform sexual acts on him, and allegedly bit her in the chest area and strangled her. He let the victim ago at around 2 a.m. on June 15.
According to the district attorney’s office, on June 18, the third victim, a 24-year-old woman, met with Royal after talking with him on a dating app for a few months. At around 10:30 p.m. that day, he and the victim arrived at his home where he allegedly refused to let her leave and threatened to kill her.
Royal allegedly strangled the victim and raped her throughout the night, including once at knifepoint. He also allegedly forced her to perform sexual acts on him, and he also performed sexual acts on her without her consent. Royal allegedly took the victim’s cellphone away when she tried to call police but returned it to her at dawn on June 19, after she asked to order food. The victim went on a food-delivery app and left a message to a restaurant in Yonkers asking them to call the police and to send them to Royal’s home. The establishment alerted the police, who then responded to the defendant’s home, rescued the victim, and arrested Royal.
Clark said Royal was arraigned on predatory sexual assault, three counts of first-degree rape, an attempted criminal sexual act in the first degree, four counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree rape, two counts of a third-degree criminal sexual act, second-degree strangulation, and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas.
Bail was set at $300,000 cash/$500,000 bond/ $500,000 partially secured bond and Royal is due back in court on October 11.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Victoria Nuñez of the child abuse/sex crimes bureau, under the supervision of Mimi Mairs, chief of the child abuse/sex crimes bureau, and under the overall supervision of Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the special victims division, and Joseph Muroff, chief of the special victims division.
Clark thanked Vanessa Cabrera Deleon, case discovery analyst in the child abuse/sex crimes bureau; and Jeanette Gambaro, Denisse Sierra and Kimberly Villanueva, advocates in the crime victims assistance unit; and Jessica Rosado, director of the crime victims assistance unit.
She also thanked NYPD Sergeant Tony Chacko, and NYPD Detectives Malik Wright and Carolyn Tully, all of the Bronx special victims squad; and NYPD Officer Maura Delohery of the 47th Precinct for their work in the investigation.
A person charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.