Shirley man charged in Coram rape

A Shirley man was arraigned Thursday on charges he raped and strangled a woman last week in a wooded area of Coram.

Suffolk County District Court Judge John Kelly ordered Jesse Diaz, 29, held on bail of $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $750,000 partially-secured bond at 10%. He also granted a temporary order of protection for the victim.

The woman was attacked by Diaz as she was walking on a trail near Route 112 and Skips Road around 1:45 p.m. May 27, police said.

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Dena Rizopoulos said Thursday that the woman was using a shortcut on her way home from a convenience store when she realized she was being watched. She turned and saw Diaz seated in a folding chair in the woods, Rizopoulos said.

"At that point, she started to turn. The victim heard the defendant run up behind her, (and) grab her by the throat," Rizopoulos said.

The woman saw a police squad car pass by and tried to call for help, but she was strangled and lost consciousness. When she woke up, Diaz was raping her, Rizopoulos said.

Before fleeing, Diaz pulled down his face mask and kissed her, Rizopoulos said.

The prosecutor said the woman had "severe signs of strangulation" and bruising all along her neck.

Diaz was taken into custody at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday in front of a strip mall in Shirley and charged with first-degree rape and second-degree strangulation, police said.

Rizopoulos said Thursday that the woman scratched the right side of her attacker's face during the assault. Diaz, when asked about scratches to his face, blamed his girlfriend, Rizopoulos said.

Diaz's attorney, Stephen Kesner of the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, said in court that his client has lived in Suffolk for three years and is unemployed and receiving Social Security benefits.

Before the judge made his ruling, Kesner had asked for supervised release with GPS monitoring or a "more reasonable" amount of bail.

"There is nothing here to indicate that he’s a flight risk," Kesner said of Diaz.

With Keldy Ortiz