A man who forced his way into a woman’s East Village apartment and feigned injury before attacking her was indicted for attempted sexual abuse and six other felony charges, prosecutors said on Thursday.
“Women deserve to walk home without fearing that they are being followed or that they will be sexually assaulted,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As alleged, Vertell Dunham pushed past a young woman after trailing her to her building under the guise of needing medical care, before strangling her and attempting to sexually assault her. Thank you to our partners at the NYPD for their quick action arresting the defendant the next day – as he attempted to follow a college student into her residence hall.”
“As alleged, Christian Valdez callously threw his girlfriend into an oncoming train,” said District Attorney Bragg. “His alleged vicious actions caused serious and permanent injuries, including the amputation of both of the victim’s legs. We take all acts of violence against riders very seriously, and my thoughts are with the victim as she navigates this terrible and horrifying incident.”
“Just look at the results we’re getting, the collaboration, you know, 38% decline in shootings during my two-year tender, 21% decline in homicides, the fact that Manhattan is, you know, down in all the index crimes,” Bragg said.
