By Alex Davidson
A former livery cab driver from South Ozone Park pleaded guilty Tuesday to a biting attack on his girlfriend in February 2002 that left the woman permanently disfigured, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Felix Rondon, 32, of 150-11 122nd St., pleaded entered a guilty plea in front of Queens Supreme Court Justice William M. Erlbaum, who said he intends to sentence the defendant to 11 1/2 years in prison on June 23, Brown said.
“The attack was savage and depraved and warrants the substantial punishment that will be imposed by the court at sentencing,” Brown said. “The viciousness of the attack and the injuries to the victim more than justifies the lengthy sentence.”
Rondon pleaded guilty to intentional assault for biting Jessica Mencia, 22, inside the couple's home on Feb. 18, 2002, Brown said. According to Rondon's indictment, he repeatedly bit Mencia's face and body, tearing away parts of her flesh.
The couple lived together at Rondon's 122nd Street home, Brown said. The defendant initially faced up to 25 years in prison following his arrest for the crime, the district attorney had said immediately after the attack.
Police from the 106th Precinct responded to 911 calls from neighbors shortly before 2 a.m. the night of the incident and rushed into Rondon's home to find him lying on top of a semi-conscious Mencia in a bedroom. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan following the attack, police said at the time of the incident.
Mencia, who dated Rondon for eight years and is the mother of 4-year-old and 10-month-old daughters, was sent to Jamaica Hospital, where she underwent emergency plastic surgery.
The victim had to stay in the hospital for more than a month, Brown said, while doctors performed several skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage from Rondon's biting attack.
Brown characterized the attack against Mencia as potentially fatal. Cops said at the time that there were no previous recorded incidents of domestic violence at the couple's home.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156
