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Roosevelt man faces 75 years in rape case

BY ANN GIVENS | ann.givens@newsday.com

May 3, 2008

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A man who kidnapped a Roosevelt woman, forced her to withdraw cash and then raped her at gunpoint was convicted Friday, and may face up to 75 years in prison.

Christopher Pearce, 29, of Roosevelt was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and second-degree kidnapping. Nassau County Court Judge Joseph Calabrese is scheduled to sentence him June 12.

"This defendant deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life," said Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice in a statement. "Holding this defendant accountable for his heinous actions is the first step to ensuring that he will never be able to do this to anyone ever again."

Pearce's lawyer, Steven Barnwell of Mineola, said his client maintains his innocence.

"I'm sure there will be an appeal, and I'm sure he will have issues to raise," Barnwell said.

The 38-year-old victim was sleeping in bed with her 3-year-old son on Aug. 30, 2007, when Pearce woke her at gunpoint and demanded cash, said prosecutors, who believe he got in through an unlocked bathroom window. Pearce forced the woman to drive to two separate cash machines, and to take out $300 at each one. The boy remained asleep in bed.

After the victim could no longer withdraw money, Pearce forced her to drive into a Freeport apartment building's parking garage and raped and sodomized her there at gunpoint.

He then forced her to drive back to her home, where he left her, naked.

The jury reached its verdict after more than eight days of testimony and about seven hours of deliberation in Nassau County Court.

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