Ecuadorian migrant accused of raping 13-year-old US teenager admits filming incident

Prosecutors in the United States have charged an Ecuadorian migrant with raping a 13-year-old girl he bound and gagged in Kissena Park in Queens. The accused rapist, 25-year-old Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, appeared in a New York criminal court on Wednesday (June 19), where he was charged with rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and a host of other crimes in connection with the shocking June 13 attack.

“I was nervous at first, but then I calmed down and took it all in,” Inga-Landi admitted in court. He had scratches on his face and kept his head down throughout the hearing. Judge Joanne B. Watters ordered him remanded in custody without bail until July 1, the day of his next court appearance.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the charges in court and praised the bravery of the victim and her male companion.

“I want to talk a little bit about the courage of these two 13-year-old children. It’s incredible what they went through, their identification, their memory of the tattoo, the braces – everything was on point,” Katz said later at a press conference.

According to the public prosecutor’s office, Inga-Landi approached the duo in a wooded area in the park, tied them up violently and gagged their mouths with cloth. After snatching their cell phones, he allegedly began to rape the girl. Before fleeing the scene with their cell phones, Inga ordered both of them to stay there for 20 minutes.

“This attack on two children in broad daylight in a city park strikes at the core of our society,” Katz said in a press release.

The New York Police Department on Tuesday (June 18) released details and developments that led to the arrest of Inga-Landi, who was apparently identified by local residents based on the wanted posters that authorities had posted.

A group arrested a citizen and held him until the police arrived.

The New York Post later reported that the defendant had already been ordered by immigration judges to leave the United States two years ago.

The 25-year-old criminal already faces two charges of robbery, obstruction of public administration and two charges of endangering the welfare of children.

(With contributions from agencies)