By Adam Kramer
Two Springfield Gardens teenagers were arrested last week in connection with the rape and sodomy of a 23-year-old mentally handicapped woman, police said.
Justin Burgess, 17, of 144-39 183rd St., Springfield Gardens, and Alan Miller, 18, of 222-24 145th Ave., Brookville, were both charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy in connection with the March 9 attack, police said.
A 12-year-old boy was also brought in and questioned before being released to the custody of his parents, said Detective Madelyne Galindo, a police spokeswoman.
It was unclear if the suspects knew the victim or what led to their arrests.
According to the Queens District Attorney's Office, the suspects could face five to 25 years in jail if convicted on the charge of rape and five to 25 years in jail if convicted on the charge of sodomy.
Galindo said a group of five boys allegedly accosted the woman, who was walking in front of a partially constructed two-story home, by coaxing her into the building at 181-13 147th Ave. in Springfield Gardens.
After raping and sodomizing the woman, the suspects fled, said Officer Louis Cruz, a Police Department spokesman. He said the woman was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital. The hospital would not release any information about her condition.
Police said they were looking for two other suspects.
Neighbors who live near the home where the attack took place said it is one of about six houses in the area east of the Belt Parkway that have been under construction for the past several months.
One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he saw police cars in front of the house, but until the police began looking over the crime scene, he was not aware an attack had taken place.
A spokeswoman from the DA's Office said she could not comment on the case while it was still under investigation.
– Michelle Han and Bryan Schwartzman contributed to this story.
