A trans-identified male illegal immigrant charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in a New York City park bathroom appeared in court yesterday, where the accused rapist was informed by a judge of when the pre-trial hearing would take place.
Nicol Suarez, 30, was arrested after allegedly following the teenage boy into a bathroom with the intent of raping him in Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem earlier this year. The boy was able to get out of the bathroom and flag down police officers at the time. Suarez was later charged with first-degree rape as well as stalking. Suarez is originally from Columbia.
As Suarez sat down for the hearing on Thursday, an interpreter was needed for the illegal immigrant to understand the proceedings, per the Daily Mail. During the hearing, Suarez's defense attorney asked the judge to give the accused rapist more time to file needed motions, but the request was declined.
Within the next 10 minutes, Judge Michele Rodney set a pre-trial hearing date in mid-September and the suspect was then walked out of the court and back to a holding cell. Suarez is being held in Rikers Island, a huge jail complex located on an island between the Bronx and Queens.
When Suarez was arrested, police found that the illegal immigrant was also wanted for alleged crimes in Massachusetts and new Jersey and had an immigration detainer hold when taken into custody in February.
Prosecutors originally asked for a $500,000 bail and a bond of $1.5 million. However, the amount was brought down by Democratic Judge Elizabeth Shamahs. First degree rape as well as stalking are both considered felonies in New York state. For the rape charge, Suarez will be facing a maximum of up to 25 years in prison. For the stalking, the maximum is seven years.
