‘Terrible’ attack
12 yrs. for fiend in sex assault on church woman
A Queens man who robbed and sexually assaulted a woman as she left a church service in 2017 was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday for participating in the horrible gang attack on the still-traumatized victim.
Prosecutors said the woman, 52, was still too upset to face Brandon Walker in court, but penned a letter that detailed her trauma — and the Christian faith that continues to guide her path.
“I wanted the court to hear what is on my mind, to hear the effects of what happened to me but as I prepared the statement I broke down again and cried,” the victim said in a letter read in Queens Criminal Court.
“I apologize. I could not come to court. Four men made me get naked at gunpoint in the street and perform sexual acts on them, and naked in the street, I thought I was going to die. In that moment they took away my innocence, my dignity and my liberty. I can no longer walk around in the day or night no matter how safe I know it is,” the victim wrote.
To survive, the victim said, she relied on prayer and the promise of the 27th Psalm: “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
“I pray that the defendants spend time in prison and I pray that they get the help they need,” she wrote in the letter, which was read out loud by Assistant District Attorney George Kanellopoulos.
“I hope by the time they get out they can live by the words, L`ove your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
Among those moved by the letter was Judge Richard Buchter, who sentenced Walker, 22, to a dozen years in jail.
“This is terrible and despicable,” Buchter said to Walker (photo). “How would you like it if it was your 52-year-old grandmother?”
“I’d be upset,“Walker responded, “Upset?!” the judge said, raising his voice. “I’d be homicidal. I hope you can reflect on this for the next 12 years.”
Last month, Walker pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual act. Cases are pending against Walker’s three co-defendants.
The woman was yanked off the street as she walked home from the Celestial Church of God around 10:30 p.m. on July 11, 2017. At the intersection of Beaver Road and 150th St., Walker approached the victim from behind. He demanded she take off her clothes and when she complied he forced her to perform a sex act on him, prosecutors said.
“A woman leaving church on her way home should not only feel safe but also be safe,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney John Ryan. “This defendant, in pleading guilty, has admitted to participating in this brutal attack. The victim was viciously violated. This defendant is now going to prison as punishment for his actions and to keep the public safe from further harm from this individual. The sentence imposed by the court is more than warranted.”