Guilty verdict in rape of Holtsville woman

A Suffolk jury convicted a Holbrook man Friday afternoon of raping a Holtsville woman in her garage.

The victim, 35, slipped into Suffolk County Court Judge Barbara Kahn's courtroom to watch the verdict. She clutched a friend's hands and closed her eyes tight. When she heard the forewoman say "Guilty," she relaxed, smiled slightly and quickly left.

"She is a strong woman," said Assistant District Attorney Carl Borelli. Fellow prosecutor Patricia Brosco credited "tenacious, hardworking" police for building a strong case.

John Kluge, 25, was found guilty of first-degree rape, first-degree burglary and first-degree criminal sexual act. He was acquitted of one count of attempted criminal sexual act. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 6.

After the verdict was read, Kluge turned and glanced at his mother in the audience.

The early-morning attack on the woman as she left for work in October 2009 was part of a pattern for Kluge, Suffolk prosecutors said. Although Kluge was tried for just this rape, authorities describe him as a "sexual predator" who stalked women in the Holbrook area.

In some cases, he broke into their homes and stole their underwear and photos of themselves, which he kept in a safe in his bedroom, authorities said. In one case, he was spotted crawling furtively across a woman's living room floor before he was chased away, authorities said.

Prosecutors said they are reviewing whether to bring those cases to trial.

His attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos of Westbury, said of the predator allegations: "He's never been charged with anything else."

Grizopoulos said after the verdict that he was satisfied that the jury gave "a full evaluation of the evidence."

In his closing argument, he argued that DNA evidence from the victim's underwear and body could have been planted by police upset after Kluge filed a brutality lawsuit after an unrelated arrest. Jurors spent much of Friday reviewing testimony about how forensic scientists safeguarded DNA evidence.

The victim picked Kluge out of a lineup after his arrest, and a car resembling his was spotted near the crime scene by a neighbor.

The victim testified that her attacker came into her garage as she was walking out and punched her in the side of her head. He then forced her to perform sexual acts.