Mineola, NY - February 20, 2014 - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced the sentencing today of a Queens man for the violent sexual assault of two women in Valley Stream last year.
Nashane Peterkin, 17, of Springfield Gardens, was sentenced by Nassau County Court Judge Angelo Delligatti to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. In December 2013, Peterkin pleaded guilty as charged in the grand jury indictment against him.
Judge Delligatti also said that he would recommend an Article 10 hearing for the defendant near the time of his release. An Article 10 hearing is a civil proceeding during which a judge or jury determines whether a sexually violent offender has a mental abnormality that predisposes him to the commission of sexual offenses. In the event that a determination is made that the defendant does, he or she may be civilly confined to a secure treatment facility.
“Women should be able to take a stroll in the park or walk home from the train station without fear of being the victim of a violent predator,” DA Rice said. “While the physical and emotional trauma inflicted by Nashane Peterkin on these women will never be erased, this defendant will be in prison for a long time where he will not be able to terrorize his victims or violate a community’s sense of safety.”
Peterkin was charged with Rape in the 1st Degree (a B violent felony), Criminal Sexual Act in the 1st Degree (a B violent felony), Sexual Abuse in the 1st Degree (a D violent felony), Strangulation in the 2nd Degree (a D violent felony), and Assault in the 2nd Degree (a D violent felony) in the attack against a 61-year-old woman in Valley Stream Park on Sept. 1, 2013. He was charged with Sexual Abuse in the 1st Degree and Assault in the 2nd Degree in the assault against a 30-year-old pregnant woman in Valley Stream on Aug. 12, 2013.
Peterkin assaulted a 30-year-old pregnant woman, according to police, as she walked southbound on Mill Road on Aug. 12, 2013 at 9:05 p.m. from Long Island Rail Road’s Valley Stream station. When the victim ran away westbound on Jedwood Place, Peterkin caught up with her, pushing her to the ground and punching her in the face. Peterkin attempted to rip off the woman’s shirt and pin her to the ground. The victim was able to fight off Peterkin, who then fled the scene on a bicycle. The victim was treated at an area hospital for scrapes and cuts to her arms and legs.
Peterkin also raped a second woman, 61, as she walked on a hiking path in Valley Stream State Park on Sept. 1, 2013 at 11:10 a.m. Peterkin strangled the woman to the point of unconsciousness, dragged her off the path into a wooden area, and raped her while continuing to beat her, causing injuries to her ribs and face.
After a joint investigation by DA Rice’s office, the Nassau County Police Department, the New York State Park Police, the New York State Police and the New York City Police Department, Peterkin was arrested on Sept. 8, 2013.
Assistant District Attorney Amanda Burke of DA Rice’s Special Victims Bureau is prosecuting the case. Peterkin is represented by Michael Dreishpoon, Esq.