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An ex-con on lifetime parole for the rape and homicide of a 10-year-old Queens woman was allowed to stay on the streets regardless of getting arrested once more final yr — and is now charged with one other sexual assault, The Put up has discovered.
Charles Rowe, 56, was in a position to money in on the state’s controversial “Much less is Extra” act, which made it simpler to maintain him out of jail even after he was hit with a felony stolen automobile rap in December, in response to regulation enforcement sources.
The convicted killer continued to stay free regardless of twice blowing off court docket appearances in that case — throughout which era he allegedly went on a brutal crime spree in Queens, assaulting one girl and raping one other earlier than he was lastly locked up earlier this month, data present.
In each circumstances, he allegedly threatened to kill his victims, in response to the court docket data.
“Charles Rowe is the poster little one for parole violation,” one regulation enforcement supply instructed The Put up. “He did time for probably the most heinous crimes I’ve seen in 40 years and he robs a automobile lower than a yr after he’s launched.
“Due to the governor’s ‘Much less is Extra’ it’s nearly not possible to violate somebody,” the supply mentioned. “Reducing the requirements is accountable for one girl combating off this monster and one other girl being raped in two horrific crimes the place each ladies have been threatened to be killed.”
The statute, signed into regulation by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2021 and enacted final yr, permits parolees to keep away from jail over a “technical violation” of their launch situations and, in response to critics, additionally makes it harder to place them again behind bars if they’re accused of a brand new crime.
“Previous to much less is extra he would have been held in jail the place he wouldn’t be capable of victimize harmless folks,” the regulation enforcement supply mentioned.
Rowe had earned his lifetime parole standing after he was convicted of raping and killing little Vanessa Broughton inside her bed room on Christmas Eve in 1987.
Rowe was a visitor of the woman’s household at their Jamaica residence when he was left alone with the teenager, then raped and repeatedly stabbed her to demise — leaving her bare and blood-soaked physique on her mattress, the place she was discovered by family at 1 a.m., in response to information studies from the time.
He was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to twenty years to life in jail.
Rowe spent almost 35 years behind bars earlier than he was launched from the upstate Sullivan County Correctional Facility on Jan. 19, 2022, and was to stay beneath shut state parole supervision.
However lower than a yr later, Rowe was busted on felony grand larceny and different fees for allegedly stealing a van from a U-Haul storage facility in Jamaica on Dec. 9.
The Queens District Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned Monday that prosecutors had requested for $25,000 bail at Rowe’s arraignment on Dec. 10.
“He’s on lifetime parole,” Assistant District Lawyer Thomas Salmon argued in court docket, in response to a transcript of the listening to. “He’s additionally a discretionary persistent felony offender [with] 4 felony convictions, two prior failures to seem, [and] one parole revocation… So, for these causes, choose, the folks’s place is that the least restrictive means to make sure the defendant’s return to court docket is $25,000 bail.”
However Rowe’s lawyer claimed that the ex-con had saved up with the necessities of his parole and requested Queens Prison Court docket Choose Stephanie Zaro to launch him with out bail, saying his consumer shouldn’t be penalized as a result of he “does have a previous of, you already know, 30 years in the past.”
The lawyer mentioned Rowe was within the stolen U-Haul van merely getting heat with a gal pal.
“Choose, I consider that it will be a complete miscarriage of justice to position my consumer in jail the place he can’t publish any bail on a D non-violent [felony] offense the place my consumer is alleged to be in a van,” Authorized Help lawyer Paul Montgomery instructed Zaro, in response to the transcript.
The choose famous Rowe’s prison document and that he had repeatedly been referred for psychiatric care whereas in jail — however agreed to free him on supervision.
“If the fees have been extra violent in any manner, clearly I wouldn’t be doing this. However I’ll do supervised launch at [parole’s] discretion,” Zaro mentioned.
“Sir,” Zaro instructed Rowe. “You’re getting a break.”
Following his arraignment, the state Division of Corrections and Group Supervision mentioned Monday {that a} warrant was issued for Rowe, who was introduced in for a recognizance listening to on Dec. 23.
The executive regulation choose launched Rowe with out bail, pending a preliminary listening to in his parole revocation case on Jan. 6 in Brooklyn Prison Court docket.
However Rowe then failed to indicate as much as his ultimate listening to on Jan. 12 — when a choose would have determined if he violated his parole — and remained free regardless of skipping out on the rescheduled date of Jan. 31, a DOCCS spokesman mentioned.
The listening to was rescheduled once more, for March 17, when Rowe’s lawyer requested that it’s pushed off as soon as extra to Tuesday, the rep mentioned.
Previous to “Much less is Extra,” a parolee rearrested on a prison cost may have been held between their preliminary and ultimate revocation hearings, for as much as 90 days, so long as possible trigger a violation occurred was discovered.
However the soft-on-crime reform took away the “presumption of detention pending revocation,” in response to a evaluate of the regulation by the Manhattan Institute, including one other step the place a choose decides whether or not the parolee will probably be launched pending the result of their case.
Court docket data present that whereas Rowe was awaiting phrase on his parole, he additionally skipped out on prison court docket appearances on the pending car-theft case on March 15 and April 12, with warrants issued for his arrest.
The warrants have been dismissed when Rowe was again in court docket on March 22 and April 18, respectively, and he continued to stay free with out bail.
In the meantime, prosecutors allege Rowe was on a vicious crime spree on the similar U-Haul facility, beginning with the alleged rape of a 69-year-old girl on March 13.
The sufferer was leaving the storage facility when Rowe allegedly grabbed her from behind and warned her, “Should you don’t do what I need I’m going to kill you” earlier than he raped her and fled, in response to the prison grievance towards him.
On April 25, he was again on the facility when a 61-year-old girl caught him rifling by means of her pocketbook inside her storage compartment and confronted him, in response to the grievance in that case.
Rowe allegedly turned to the lady and warned her, “Let’s not flip this right into a homicide.”
After the lady put up a battle, he allegedly instructed her, “You’re going to be my girlfriend tonight” — after which slashed her within the neck and chest and punched her within the face earlier than operating off, the grievance states.
Court docket paperwork present that Rowe was allegedly again on the scene the following day when he was caught on surveillance video burglarizing the enterprise — and seen wheeling a buying cart from the ability.
Rowe was arrested and charged with the three new crimes on Might 13.
He was arraigned on Might 14 and hit with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, predatory sexual assault, first- and second-degree theft, weapons possession, housebreaking, petty larceny and different fees.
Queens prosecutors mentioned they requested that he be held with out bail, however the choose within the case as a substitute set bail at $250,000 in money or a $750,000 bond, the DA’s workplace mentioned Monday.
Rowe stays locked up on Rikers Island pending a return court docket look on June 28.
The Authorized Help Society, which represents Rowe, didn’t reply to requests for remark from The Put up on Monday. Court docket officers additionally didn’t reply.
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