More stomach-churning details emerged Tuesday surrounding the suspect who allegedly robbed and raped a dead man aboard a Manhattan train earlier this month as a judge ordered him to be remanded.
Audience members groaned and winched in horror inside a Manhattan courtroom on April 29 as prosecutors outlined the horrific acts allegedly performed by 44-year-old Felix Rojas.
According to statements made on the record, the hours-long assault began aboard an R train traveling between Bay Ridge – 95th Street Station in Brooklyn to Whitehall Street station in the Financial District at around 11:22 p.m. on April 8. Rojas boarded the train car and came upon the body of 37-year-old Jorge Gonzalez, who police believe died of natural causes while riding the subway.
Prosecutors say video surveillance caught him searching an unconscious and unresponsive Gonzalez in an attempt to steal his belongings, stopping when other passengers boarded before continuing when they disembarked.
“The defendant decided to take advantage of the situation and inserted his penis into the mouth of the victim. To do so, the defendant mounted his legs on the bench where the victim was seated, so his waist was the same height at the victim’s mouth and grabbed the victim’s head with his hand,” ADA Alexander Bourdakos said.
Court documents reveal that he continued the sexual assault until 11:52 p.m., only stopping when the train pulled into the station before continuing — but he was not done there. He dragged the body from the seat onto the floor of the train and pulled down his pants where he proceeded to anally rape him.
Rojas then allegedly added insult to injury by searching his body one final time, removing his shoes.
Court documents also show that Rojas was still in the train car when an MTA employee discovered the body at around 12:25 p.m. The worker called for help and EMS told Rojas to leave the train as they examined Gonzalez and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Rojas’ son reportedly recognized his father after seeing a surveillance image of him on the news, and Rojas turned himself in to police on April 27 following a manhunt.
Prosecutors say that when confronted with surveillance video of himself he told police “that is me” but maintained he did not perform the sexual assault.
Gonzalez was seen on video in the preceding hours losing consciousness around 10:50 p.m when police believed he died. According to the New York Daily News, Gonzalez’s estranged wife believes her husband perished from cirrhosis resulting from alcoholism.
“Slowly, he just became an alcoholic,” said Teresa Gonzalez, who told the paper she had not seen her husband in five years. “He was putting the alcohol over everything else.”
An official cause of death was never given.
Rojas was charged with two counts of attempted rape and grand larceny. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court on May 5.
