“A 73-year-old birdwatcher said she was raped Wednesday in Central Park, possibly by a man angered because she photographed him exposing himself there, NBCNewYork.com reported.
The woman told investigators the man asked, “Do you remember me?” before attacking her about 11 a.m. near the park’s tranquil Strawberry Fields that serves as a memorial to John Lennon, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference.
The woman, who regularly visits the park to watch birds, said she thinks the assailant was the same man she photographed masturbating about a week ago in another, more isolated part of the park, police said.
She said he demanded she delete the image before they went their separate ways. Police said that initial encounter was not reported…
Eric Ozawa, 34, told reporters he was in the park about 11:30 a.m. when he noticed a pair of legs sticking out along the path but thought it was somebody sleeping. As Ozawa got closer, he realized it was a woman lying face down. Her face was badly swollen, she had a black eye and was covered in mulch, he said.”
Horrific and traumatic. I hope she will be okay!
This story sadly illustrates how some men use rape as a weapon/source of power or revenge against others (women and men) regardless of age, time of day or night, or location. It’s not a crime of passion. It’s a hate crime.
9/14/12 Update: The police caught a suspect and he sounds even more horrifying. Via Jezebel:
“Mitchell’s disturbing criminal history began when he was just 18 and charged with molesting and beating to death 87-year-old Annie Parks during a burglary in his hometown of Jenkinjones near the border of Kentucky and Virginia. […]
After his release, the ex-con was arrested at least twice more before being convicted of kidnapping in 2003 and sent back to prison for eight more years.”
