Bronx man sentenced to 34 years to life for raping two women and sexually abusing a third woman in his home

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Friday, July 19, that a Bronx man was sentenced to a total of 34 years to life in prison for raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman over a six-day period in his Eastchester apartment. She said one victim was saved after she sent a message through a food delivery app and asked the restaurant to call police.

Reacting to the verdict, Clark said, “The defendant brutally sexually assaulted three women. Thanks to the quick response of one of the victims, we were able to bring this sexual predator to justice and prevent him from terrorizing further victims.”

Clark said the defendant, Kemoy Royal, 34, of Pratt Avenue in the Bronx, was sentenced Friday by Judge Jeffrey Zimmerman of Bronx Superior Court. She said Royal was sentenced to 17 years to life for sexual assault, 10 years for first-degree rape and 7 years for attempted first-degree sexual assault. She said those sentences are to be served consecutively.

The court heard that Royal was convicted by a jury on May 14 after two days of deliberations. After his release from prison, he will be required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA), according to prosecutors.

According to the investigation, on June 13, 2022, Royal met a 27-year-old woman he had been talking to on a dating app for a few days and invited her to his home. He later raped the victim, forced her to perform sexual acts on him, and performed sexual acts on the victim without her consent.

On June 14, 2022, Royal met the second victim, a 26-year-old woman, on the street and claimed he knew her through a friend. The court heard he lured her to his apartment, wouldn’t let her leave and threatened to kill her. Royal also tried to force her to perform sexual acts on him and strangled her before letting her go hours later.

The court also heard that the third victim, a 24-year-old woman, met with the defendant at his home on June 18, 2022, after they spoke on a dating app. Royal refused to let her leave, took her phone and threatened to kill her. He also strangled the victim, raped her and forced her to perform sexual acts. The court heard that the next morning, the victim told Royal she wanted to order food and did so through a food delivery app, while also asking the restaurant to call the police. The Yonkers restaurant called police, who responded and arrested Royal.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney for Major Cases Victoria Nuñez and Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Farrar 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, Assistant Chief of the Special Victims Section, and Joseph Muroff, Chief of the Special Victims Section.

District Attorney Clark thanked Jaquelin Rodriguez-Dominguez and Elaina Clarke, trial preparation assistants in the Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau, Tiffany Pringle, social worker and victim advocate in the Human Trafficking Unit, Jenette Gambaro, victim advocate, Melissa Palacios Fernandez, domestic violence victim advocate, Evelyn Trinidad Armenia, director of child and family services in the Victim Services Bureau, as well as Nana Lamouse-Welch, DNA specialist in the Forensics Unit, and Joao D’Alessandro, director of the video unit.

Clark also thanked Cassandra Williams, a criminalist with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Department of Forensic Biology, and NYPD Officer Maura Delohery of the 47th Police Department.^th Precinct and NYPD Detective Malik Wright and Carolyn Tully of the Bronx Special Victims Squad for their work in the investigation.