Rupert Cruz, 65, pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years of post-release supervision. Cruz met the then-32-year-old woman in June 2023 while both were patients at a hospital and later offered her a ride home. Cruz gave the woman a drink from an opened soda can and then made sexual advances; he forcibly moved her from the passenger seat onto him. The woman later awoke naked in a wooded park area with injuries and could not recall events. Cruz had a prior forcible rape conviction and multiple failures to register as a sex offender. The pending Elder Parole bill could allow early parole hearings for offenders like Cruz, potentially placing victims at risk.
"This sexual predator was 63 years old and had a prior forcible rape conviction and multiple failures to register as a sex offender, when he targeted, drugged and violently attacked this woman," Tierney said in a news release. "Sexual predators are dangerous no matter their age. Tragically, under the pending Elder Parole bill in the New York State legislature, offenders just like this defendant would be given early parole hearings, putting vulnerable victims at risk. It is time for our legislature to start prioritizing victims over criminals."
In June 2023, Cruz met the then-32-year-old woman while they were both patients at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, according to court documents. When Cruz and the woman were discharged, Cruz offered her a ride home, which she accepted, authorities said. While the woman was in Cruz's vehicle, he gave her a drink from an opened soda can, officials said.
While Cruz was driving, he began making sexual advances towards the victim, which she rejected, prosecutors said. Cruz picked the woman up from the passenger seat and forced her on top of him while he was still seated in the driver's seat, investigators said. The woman did not remember anything after that, authorities said.
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