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Queens DA Melinda Katz
By Forum Staff
A Georgia man has admitted to attacking a woman in 2020, dragging her into a dark alley between shops on Jamaica Avenue and raping her, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday.
Rony Lopez Alvarez, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to rape in the first degree. Lopez Alvarez faces 10 years in prison to be followed by five years’ post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to court records, on Jan. 18, 2020, at approximately 4 a.m., as a 27-year-old woman walked past shops and stores on Jamaica Avenue Lopez Alvarez grabbed her. Putting a hand over the victim’s mouth, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a sharp object against her. Lopez Alvarez then forced her into an alley between the shops and told her he would “snap her neck” if she screamed for help.
Lopez Alvarez then pulled the victim toward the back of the dark alley where he removed some of her clothes and raped her. Lopez Alvarez then fled the area. The woman was able to walk out of the alley and flag down a passerby who called 911 for her.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, Katz said, where she was treated and a rape kit was used to collect DNA evidence. A DNA profile was developed from the evidence found in the rape kit, and after an investigation was conducted, a DNA match was discovered. Lopez Alvarez was found in Forest Park, Georgia, and transported back to Queens.
“Although the trauma cannot be undone, I hope that the victim takes some solace and rests easier knowing her attacker will be incarcerated for his criminal actions,” Katz said.
