A Manhattan maid who was repeatedly raped by a sicko constructing superintendent fainted in court docket Monday as a prosecutor learn her excruciating victim-impact assertion in regards to the “monster.”
The sufferer — who was blackmailed at one level with bare pictures of her special-needs little one — crashed to the ground whereas standing at a lectern in Manhattan Supreme Court docket because the prosecutor learn her assertion.
In her letter to the court docket, the lady, an unlawful migrant from Paraguay, detailed the torture she suffered from Jose Espinoza, a dad of three who ended up sentenced to 22 years in jail Monday after being discovered responsible of rape for his years-long marketing campaign of terror.
“Due to this bastard, I’m struggling to proceed with my life usually,” the middle-aged mother stated in her assertion, which was learn by Manhattan Assistant District Legal professional Jonathon Junig.
The sufferer’s eyes then all of the sudden rolled again, and she or he misplaced her stability earlier than collapsing to the ground.
The chaotic scene, which lasted practically 10 minutes, unfolded simply earlier than Espinoza, 62, was sentenced after being convicted at trial in December of rape, labor trafficking and different fees within the case.
The sufferer ultimately got here round from her fainting spell and sat within the first row because the prosecutor completed studying her letter, which revealed her psychological struggles from the assaults that had “broke [her] right into a thousand items.
“For a few years, I suffered hell for no purpose in any respect. He destroyed my life and my harmless household,” the lady stated in her letter to Choose Felicia Mennin, begging her to point out no mercy when sentencing the rapist.
Espinoza met his sufferer, a mom of an autistic little one, in August 2017 and provided her cash in change for intercourse if she agreed to wash residences within the Flatiron condo constructing the place he served because the tremendous.
However when the lady wished to cease the association a yr later, Espinoza grew irate and began bodily beating her, took her passport and tracked her whereabouts as his energy journey escalated, prosecutors have stated.
He additionally blackmailed her into silence by demanding bare images of her particular wants little one — after which threatened to share the pictures if the lady ever spoke out.
Espinoza went so far as forcing the sufferer to have intercourse with him in entrance of her daughter a minimum of as soon as, prosecutors have stated.
“Don’t be fooled by this monster, your Honor,” the sufferer warned in her assertion. “He isn’t a human being. … He likes to make folks endure, and he enjoys it. And I guarantee you, he won’t ever change.”
Espinoza’s deviant scheme — which included having the sufferer reside along with his spouse and considered one of his daughters — was foiled by the spring of 2022 when the lady was identified with breast most cancers and informed a social employee at Bellevue Hospital about her years of abuse.
His six-year intercourse terror plot got here to an finish when he was arrested in December 2023.
Espinoza denied being a rapist whereas admitting he made some “very dangerous, horrible errors” as he apologized to his household within the courtroom.
The choose, who obtained greater than a dozen letters from Espinoza’s household and associates on his behalf, stated she believed that his household was “clearly deluded” into believing the daddy was a great man — and that his spouse’s continued assist was baffling.
“Good household males don’t cheat on their wives, enslave different ladies, set up them of their properties the place they will train final management over them and rape them,” the choose seethed.
Manhattan Assistant District Legal professional Alvin Bragg stated in a press release, “Jose Espinoza dedicated horrific acts of rape and sexual abuse all whereas forcing this survivor to wash residences in his constructing.
“I thank this survivor for her extremely courageous choice to come back ahead, testify at trial, and communicate at Espinoza’s sentencing immediately.”
Supply hyperlink
