By Forum Staff
Late last week, a Far Rockaway man was convicted of raping his former lover and sodomizing her new boyfriend, after an appellate court overturned his previous conviction on the same charges.
Raymond Gillespie, 45, faces up to 50 years for his conviction in the March 2009 rape of the woman with whom he’d previously been in a long-term relationship as well as the September 2009 home invasion and anal sexual assault of the her current boyfriend.
In September the defendant entered the victim’s home and with the help of accomplices tied up the woman and her boyfriend as they slept. He then proceeded to sexually assault her and used a pipe to sexually assault the new boyfriend, all while he attempted, unsuccessfully, to disguise his voice by speaking in a Jamaican accent.
“The victims suffered extensively at the hands of the defendant,” District Attorney Brown said. “After carefully weighing the evidence presented at trial, a jury rendered a verdict of guilty. The verdict signifies the culmination of a lengthy quest for justice for these two victims.”
Gillespie’s first conviction was overturned based on a judicial error during jury deliberations. Following a week-long re-trial, a jury found Gillespie guilty of first-degree rape, first-degree burglary, aggravated attempted sex abuse and first-degree criminal sex act.
Justice Barry Schwartz set sentencing later this month on November 13. Additionally, Gillespie will have to register as a sex offender upon the completion of his prison term. His co-defendant, Lamont Gough, who was previously convicted at a separate trial is currently serving up to 20 years in prison.
Trial testimony shows that in March 2009, the defendant brandished a gun and pinned his ex to the floor and raped her in her home.
Six months later, in September, the defendant – along with Gough and other accomplices – entered his former companion’s Rosedale home again in the early morning hours when she was with her boyfriend. Once inside the residence, they tied up the sleeping couple and forced them to lie face down to prevent them from seeing their attackers.
To avoid further detection, Gillespie faked a Jamaican accent, however, the victims still recognized his voice. The former companion was sexually assaulted again and her boyfriend was burned with lit cigarettes and a metal rod was used to sexually assault him. DNA evidence along with cell phone site records linked the defendant to the crime.
