DA VANCE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT IN WEST HARLEM PUSH-IN BURGLARY, SEX ASSAULT
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., recently announced the indictment of EDWARD RODRIGUEZ GUZMAN, 33, for assaulting and attempting to rape a 31-year-old woman in her West Harlem apartment in March 2014. GUZMAN is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count each of Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, Burglary in the First Degree, Attempted Rape in the First Degree, and Robbery in the Second Degree. [1]
“This defendant was apprehended after a DNA profile created from blood found at the crime scene matched a profile in the New York State Databank,” said District Attorney Vance. “What we see over and over again is that the most serious criminals often commit other crimes. I strongly advocated for the All Crimes DNA Bill, which was signed into law by Governor Cuomo in 2012, to require all convicted offenders to provide a DNA sample. Expanding the DNA databank to include a larger pool of profiles helps solve crimes and exonerate the innocent, not just across boroughs, but across the entire country.”
As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record in court, on March 10, 2014, GUZMAN followed a 31-year-old woman into her West Harlem apartment building at approximately 10:24 p.m. GUZMAN took the victim’s cell phone, which she was able to grab back before going up the stairs to her apartment. When the victim opened her apartment door, the defendant is charged with running up the stairs and pushing into the victim’s apartment, choking her, taking her phone, and attempting to remove her clothing. After struggling with the victim for control of a knife in the apartment, GUZMAN allegedly bit her arm before he fled, cutting himself as he left.
Using blood found on a table and doorknob at the crime scene, the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner developed a male DNA profile, which was entered into New York State’s DNA Databank and matched the defendant’s profile.
Assistant District Attorney Samuel David is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Martha Bashford, Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Audrey Moore, Chief of the Special Victims Bureau.
District Attorney Vance thanked the NYPD for its assistance with the case.
Defendant Information:
EDWARD GUZMAN, D.O.B. 3/26/1981
New York, NY
Charged:
- Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a class B felony, one count
- Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Rape in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.