Cops: Hofstra Rape Suspects Lured Victim By Stealing Cellphone

Mugshots of the suspects: (Clockwise, from top left) Kevin R. Taveras, Rondell Bedward, Stalin Felipe, Jesus L. Ortiz

[Update: Now the Nassau County DA says the student lied about the rape.]

Nassau County police revealed harrowing details of how a Hofstra University student was apparently lured from a campus party into being gang raped by five men in a dorm (four suspects are in custody). The 18-year-old victim had been dancing at Hofstra USA early Sunday morning when Bronx resident Jesus Ortiz, 19, allegedly grabbed her cellphone after a dance. Police Detective Lt. John Allen said, "She repeatedly asked for the cell phone but he was not responsive. He left the club. She followed him out of the club. The cell phone was taken to lure her away from the crowd."

The victim followed Ortiz to a dorm; Allen said, "He got off on a floor she was not familiar with. Whereupon they were immediately met by a second subject [Stalin Felipe, 19, of the Bronx]... She wasn’t interested in meeting him, but the second subject began making advances to her, which she resisted." Felipe allegedly also had a rope. Apparently the two suspects took her into the men's bathroom, tied her up in a stall, and assaulted her. Three other men appeared; Allen said, "The victim asked them to help her, but unbeknownst to her, they were friends of the first two," and the other three then raped her as well, "one by one." Though the victim was screaming, no one heard her cries. The suspects did cut her from the ropes, and Allen said, "They actually had the audacity to ask her if she wanted to go with them." Instead, the victim called campus police.

The other suspects are Kevin Taveras, 20, of Brentwood and Rondell Bedward, 21, of the Bronx, a Hofstra student who Newsday says "worked part-time with the campus public safety department"—he was the one who signed in Ortiz, Felipe, Taveras, and the fifth suspect (who has not been arrested) at the dorm. All four were charged with five counts of rape and held on $350,000 bail; Taveras' stepmother told, "He's a good kid. I'm shocked." A student who knows Bedward said, "It's just shocking to me. can't see Rondell doing something like that."

Some Hofstra students say the Hempstead school didn't alert them immediately—one found out about the rape by looking at a friend's Facebook status.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 16, 2009 10:40 AM

Comments [rss]

jenchungistheworldsworstreport

Dear Jen Chung,

I hope you take the time to reflect on how poorly you wrote "Hofstra Rape Suspects Lured Victim By Stealing Cellphone"

1) Never take what "the police" say as truth. Every statement MUST include doubt if guilt has not been proven.

2) You eagerly joined a lynch mob against four innocent black youths. This article is sick and twisted when you go back and read it now.

3) Anytime you used the word "victim" you should have used "claimant". The only victim in this case is the truth, and oh, the four innocent youths you convicted without a trial.

4) You claimed "one found out about the rape". What rape? Was there a rape? Do you have evidence of a rape? Has anyone been convicted of a rape?

You should be sued now for libel, and you will lose. Big.

Shameful reporting. Shameful.

(And the comments here (before the truth came out)? Shameful. Racist. And predictable.)

emerson

You people need to take a long look in the memory and come to the realization that you are all racists. You just wanted so much to believe it was true.

debra88

What people do in their free time is their own business. They shouldn't have their faces splattered around based on false accusations.

Amanda Harletsch

These men are guilty of HUGE idiocy -at least.

This whole mess is what they got for having such gratis easy fun with an INSANE young woman!

debra88

Maybe you should take their photos off this story and stop demonizing them now, unless you want to continue a Fox News like angle on covering "crime"?

WhoCaresFU

The US is USELESS. US men are feminized losers. This women needs to be executed for trying to ruin these mens lives. And yet, at least one of the men, still stick up for her. This is considered a free country (NOT EVEN CLOSE), where any women can open her mouth, say a few words, and completely ruin a mans life. And then, when she admits she LIED, nothing usually happens-WTF. What a joke the WEST is today. FU all losers.

Amanda Harletsch

How noble of you, condemning all women to a life of hell in the hands of the Taliban Mentality for the sake of the penis of these idiots!

These men are guilty of HUGE idiocy -at least.

This whole mess is what they got for having such gratis easy fun with an INSANE young woman! She must answer to the authorities for such a waste of time and for whatever rights she ignored.

But your comment only supports the incomprehensible philosophy of the BRUTE!

In case you wanna see outside your very small head:

I see a future a thousand years hence, where a bunch of boys begin wondering if it really true that men were forever doomed to inferior status, to be the inferior, the suspect, sex, owing to their inability to resist conniving metanarratives (insert your favorite religion here) that keep their own bellies full, and everyone else around them in chains.

yytttt

Jen Chung, I heard you took these guys photos down, they're still up! I think these guys deserve about 2000000 apologies right about now.

willdk

Got to love the internet. It's beautiful to see people making illogical and misinformed statements and then having those same statements come back to slap them in their face hours later and additionally giving us all a glimpse of their true humanity or lack of. VIVA LA INTERNET!

DarkGemini

The truth is hard to handle!!!

The truth is that the bitch lied. And she's a ho. In no particular order.

You, on the other hand... well, there's a special place in hell for you and your ignorance.

Here's to hoping you darwin yourself before you procreate and spread the ignorance to yet another generation.

Innocent until proven guilty... riiiight.

DarkGemini

Dammit.

This was in response to listenup's little tirade up there.

blackbusiness

Gotta love bts220 and his 'savage animals' question. I agree with Rocknrope (couldn't say it better myself). Let's withhold judgement on these types of cases until the facts are out. There are a lot of disreputable women out there.

JacqueMehoff

wow, your kung fu is strong law101,

didn't the cops say they're looking for one more guy?

I hope her family doesn't have money because it's going bye bye.

they're released already, channel 11 had the tape.

law101

thanks man-- theyre out! im so happy!! no one deserves to be punished for what theyre not responsible for. the story really didnt make sense to me. to follow someone if they stole your phone? cmon..a close friend of mine pulled the same stunt 6 years ago (btw were no longer friends)-- ive taken a close look at cases like these ever since. its shocking to see how much people will lie to cover themselves up. im glad her conscience ate at her. **and for the record, they were hispanic =0)**

Rocknrope

Yep, lucky you guys aren't running the local lynching party. The four of these guys would be castrated and hung from the old oak by the time this skanky slutbag recanted her story.

Live and learn, eh? Just like the Duke Lacrosse team.

What can we learn from this story?

law101

IM FEELING GREAT RIGHT NOW TO BE HONEST WITH YOU GUYS. THE INNOCENT ALWAYS PREVAIL. CAN SOMEONE SAY LAWSUIT?

JLRodP

Turns out the chick wanted to perform such act. It's not the first time i've heard such things happen. I've heard stories....

efg72

NBC just reported that the girl recanted the allegations. She now says she was not raped and the sex was consentual. All the young men in this case have been cleared. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Hofstra-Rape-Victim-Recants-Tale-Suspects-to-be-Released-Report-59568692.html

bigguysteve

Molly - the old-timer forgot to tell you the punchline - Next day, they found out they had the wrong guy so they all went out and had a glass of wine and a big laugh about how they made a mistake.