The Brooklyn man arrested in connection with a Little Neck home invasion earlier this month during which a 34-year-old woman was raped twice and robbed of cash apparently turned himself in to police, sources familiar with the investigation told QNS.
Following an ongoing investigation, Brooklyn resident Brandon Daniels, 24, was arrested on May 14. He was charged with attempted rape, robbery, assault, burglary, sexual abuse and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
At this time, the specific role in the incident that Daniels allegedly played is not yet known. Sources say that Daniels turned himself in to police custody and was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on May 14. Authorities indicated that he was linked to the crime through genetic evidence.
According to police, Daniels was one of three men involved in a home invasion on May 4. At 9:31 p.m. that day, the 34-year-old woman was leaving her residence, located in the vicinity of 251st Street and 57th Avenue, when two men approached her, displayed a firearm and forced her back into her house.
The NYPD released this video of the suspects breaking into her house:
Authorities said that seven other people were in the home when the victim was forced back inside. They were detained in one of the bedrooms while one of the suspects searched for cash.
The victim handed over $1,000 in cash, and one of the suspects sexually assaulted the victim. After the attack, police reported, he brought the victim back downstairs and took another $800 in cash from the woman’s 54-year-old mother.
Law enforcement sources said the perpetrators then demanded more money from victim, who went to another bedroom and provided $8,000 in cash from a nightstand. The second robber then sexually assaulted her in that bedroom, authorities noted.
The two home invaders and a third man, who entered the home shortly after the robbery began, then fled the scene in two separate vehicles, a light-colored, four-door sedan and a light-colored Mercedes-Benz E Class series.
The criminal complaint provided by the Queens District Attorney’s office states that DNA obtained from pieces of a blue latex glove found at the scene match Daniels’ DNA.
Daniels is due to return to court on May 31.
The other two suspects remain at large. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the case can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website, send a direct message on Twitter to @NYPDTips or text 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Updated at 2:10 p.m. on May 15.
