The victim, a 74-year-old birdwatcher, called David Albert Mitchell, 43, a “sexual terrorist” as he was sentenced today to 30 years in prison.
Manhattan
David Mitchell being lead away in shackles after being apprehended by the police. Mitchell, 43, pleaded guilty to raping an elderly birdwatcher in Central Park near Strawberry Fields on September 12th in 2012. He was arrested shortly after in connection with the sexual assault and the groping of two others in Central Park. A grand jury charged him with rape, robbery, assault, weapon possession, forcible touching, and other charges. Mitchell will be back in court on October 16th for sentencing. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)
A New York City woman had harsh words Wednesday for the rapist who victimized her while she was watching birds in Central Park, according to the Associated Press/WCBS.
The woman, 74, called David Albert Mitchell, 43, a “S” as he was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison.
She described the Sept 12, 2012 attack and injuries that included a damaged jaw. She told Mitchell, “May you rot in hell for all eternity.”
Mitchell, who hails from West Virginia and has a long criminal record, pleaded guilty on Oct. 1 to raping and robbing the woman last year.
According to his guilty plea, Mitchell approached the woman in Central Park, grabbed her from behind and forcefully hit her head on the ground. After assaulting and raping the woman, Mitchell fled with her camera bag.
The victim immediately reported the attack and her injuries to the police.
According to the Mitchell’s guilty plea, three weeks earlier on Aug. 20, 2012, Mitchell argued with a man in Central Park and pulled a knife on him. He was not injured.
The sentence includes being charged with but not convicted of sexually assaulting two women over age 70. He also went to prison in the abduction of an ex-girlfriend.
“This lengthy prison sentence ensures that David Mitchell, a sexual predator, will spend decades in prison and off our streets,” said District Attorney Cy Vance.
“Attacks on vulnerable victims in public places terrify all New Yorkers, who have the right to feel safe in our city’s parks.”
The crime scene in Central Park near Strawberry Fields on September 12, 2012. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)
As she faced the ex-convict who raped her in Central Park, a 74-year-old woman condemned him Wednesday with composed anger, calling him a "sexual terrorist" and an "evil infestation," according to the Associated Press.
"You, David Albert Mitchell, for the pain you inflicted on me and, by association, my loving family and friends, may you rot in hell for all eternity," she said during his sentencing to 30 years in prison for attacking her as she watched birds in September 2012 — a week after authorities say he noticed her using a camera to document his lewd behavior.
Mitchell, who had previously been charged with sexually attacking other women over age 70, pleaded guilty this month to rape and robbery. His sentenced was settled then.
While the plea deal prevents her from having to testify about her ordeal at a trial, she made plain Wednesday that she wanted Mitchell to hear about it from her before the case was closed.
"Make no mistake: This is a sexual terrorist," the woman said, urging a judge "to do the right thing so that nobody else is every hurt or menaced by this evil infestation."
While the woman, 73 at the time, pursued her favorite pastime, Mitchell pounced on her from behind, slammed her to the ground and threatened to cut her throat when she screamed, scratched at him and tried to poke his eyes out, she said.
"I stopped fighting. I figured I was a goner," she recalled.
Mitchell raped her twice, told her to stay prone and count to 100 while he left with her camera bag, and admonished her to stay put when she looked up early, she said. The attack left her with injuries including a broken finger, a smashed tooth and a damaged jaw.
Roughly a week before, the birdwatcher had photographed Mitchell in a lewd moment, and he had confronted her, the Manhattan district attorney's office said.
Mitchell and his attorneys declined to speak at his sentencing, where he showed little reaction as his victim spoke.
The Associated Press generally does not identify sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly.
Mitchell comes from tiny Jenkinjones, W.Va., where he was charged at age 18 with raping and killing an 86-year-old woman. Acquitted in that case, he was then charged with raping a woman in her 70s; the sexual assault charge was dropped as Mitchell pleaded guilty to other charges, his attorney at the time has said.
Later, Mitchell was suspected but never charged in the death of a 54-year-old woman. He served prison time in other cases, including the abduction of his ex-girlfriend. When he was released in 2011, some Jenkinjones residents bought guns to protect themselves from him.
His New York arrest, plus a convicted sex offender's arrest in a rape in another Manhattan park about two weeks later, led local officials to call for tougher penalties for sex offenders.
Read More:
74-year-old NYC woman to her rapist: 'Rot in hell'
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WCBS - October 16, 2013
A Walk In the Park - October 3, 2013
David Mitchell - Alleged Rapist Of 73-Year-Old Central Park
Bird Watcher - Pleads Not Guilty
A Walk In The Park - October 9, 2012
Bird Watcher - Pleads Not Guilty
A Walk In The Park - October 9, 2012
A Walk In The Park - September 13, 2012
A Walk In The Park - September 12, 2012
