A Brooklyn man who allegedly raped his 88-year-old neighbor on April 24 was formally charged in Kings County Supreme Court on June 3, according to prosecutors.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the charges against 24-year-old Selwyn Worrell, who allegedly tied up the elderly woman and raped her in the basement of her East New York house.
“This defendant allegedly assaulted a vulnerable and defenseless woman in her own home, which should be a safe space,” Gonzalez said.
According to the investigation, the victim allowed Worrell to walk through her home to access their shared backyard, as she had done on several occasions when Worrell did not have the keys to his front door.
After entering the home, Worrell allegedly grabbed the victim by her neck and dragged her to the basement, before tying her hands with an electrical cord, gagging her with a pillow case, and raping her.
While the victim was being forced into the cellar, prosecutors say she activated her life alert bracelet to call for help. Approximately 30 minutes later, the victim’s daughter arrived with emergency medical personnel to find the scarcely-clothed victim bound and gagged on the basement floor, prosecutors said.
The victim’s daughter immediately went to Worrell’s home to alert her neighbors of the incident. Upon hearing the news, Worrell’s father confronted him about the incident, and he ran off, according to police.
The elder Worrell tracked down his son several blocks away and detained him until police arrived, cops said.
Worrell was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice William Miller on a 23-count indictment, including charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
Worrell was ordered to be held on $500,000 bail, and will return to court on July 30.
