New York man, 33, is charged with strangling and raping a woman in her own home before breaking in again two days later wearing clown makeup
- Joseph T. Johnson, 33, is accused of raping and strangling a woman in her home
- He allegedly broke in on September 19 and attacked her
- She installed security cameras around her home, but Johnson returned
- On September 21, in clown makeup, he swiveled the cameras and cut the wires
- He allegedly broke in again but was caught on camera before the wires were cut
- Johnson was recognized and arrested, and was charged with 13 counts
- Among the charges are rape, strangulation, and multiple burglary counts
Prosecutors in New York have announced the indictment of a Long Island man who raped a woman then returned to her home to break in, wearing clown makeup.
Joseph T. Johnson, 33, of Wyandanch, was charged with 13 counts including rape, strangulation, and multiple burglary counts.
He is accused of a wild rampage, which began on September 19 with the breaking into several parked cars at Wyandanch train station between 1am and 3am.
Joseph T. Johnson, 33, of Wyandanch, New York, is accused of going on a 72 hour rampage
Johnson put clown makeup on his face before returning to the home two days after the attack
Johnson has been charged with 13 counts and faces 40 years behind bars if convicted
Later the same day, Johnson allegedly broke into a woman’s home in Wyandanch where he raped and strangled her, stealing money as he left.
The traumatized woman installed several surveillance cameras in and around the property, Suffolk County district attorney, Timothy Sini, said on Wednesday.
Two days after the attack, on September 21, the woman was alerted that the cameras had been turned off.
The cameras were found to have been damaged or turned away from the home, and the wires to the cameras’ recording unit inside the house had been cut.
Video surveillance captured before the cameras were damaged allegedly showed Johnson, wearing clown face paint, at the residence.
Johnson appeared to have something of a clown fetish: his Facebook page featured numerous photos of him in clown makeup.
Johnson appeared to have a clown fetish: his Facebook features a series of poses in makeup
Johnson, in clown makeup again, decorated his Facebook pages with clown emojis
Johnson’s fetish for clown makeup was not explained by prosecutors
Johnson was identified from the surveillance video by a Suffolk County Police Detective and was arrested.
DNA testing confirmed his being inside the house and raping the woman.
‘This is an extremely disturbing case,’ said Sini.
‘As alleged in the indictment, this defendant went on a crime spree that escalated from breaking car windows to breaking into the victim’s home twice in the span of 72 hours, raping and repeatedly strangling the victim while threatening her life.
‘This is a dangerous individual and a convicted sex offender who is now off our streets thanks to the excellent work of the Suffolk County Police Department and Assistant District Attorney Ferron Lien.’
Justice Chris Ann Kelley, acting Suffolk County Supreme Court justice, set bail at $500,000 cash, $1 million bond, or $5 million partially-secured bond.
He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society and is due back in court on March 9.
If convicted, Johnson faces up to 40 years in prison, if sentenced consecutively.