Who is Joseph T Johnson? NY man strangles and rapes woman at her home, breaks in again wearing clown makeup
WYANDANCH, NEW YORK: A sex offender from Wyandanch, New York, was charged with strangling and raping a woman after breaking into her home twice. The second time he broke into the property, he wore terrifying clown makeup and damaging CCTV cameras.
Joseph T Johnson of Wyandanch has been arrested and charged with 13 counts including rape, strangulation, and multiple burglary counts. The 33-rear-old is reportedly accused of a wild rampage, which began on September 19 with the breaking into several parked cars at Wyandanch train station between 1 am and 3 am. Out on a spree, later the same day, he allegedly broke into a woman's home in Wyandanch where he raped and strangled her, stealing money as he left.
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According to Suffolk County district attorney Timothy Sini, after the incident, the traumatized woman installed several surveillance cameras in and around her property. But two days after the attack, on September 21, the woman was alerted that the cameras had been turned off. Later on, it was found that the cameras had been damaged or turned away from the home. In addition to that, the wires to the cameras' recording unit inside the house had been cut.
But the cameras were successful in capturing the perpetrator before he damaged it. Video surveillance captured before the cameras were damaged allegedly showed Johnson, wearing clown face paint, at the residence.
Who is Johnson?
Johnson was identified from the surveillance video by a Suffolk County Police Detective and was arrested. DNA testing confirmed his being inside the house and raping the woman, authorities said.
Going through his social media, Johnson appeared to have something of a clown fetish. His Facebook page featured numerous photos of him in clown makeup.
"This is an extremely disturbing case," said Sini. "As alleged in the indictment, this defendant went on a crime spree that escalated from breaking car windows to breaking into the victim's home twice in the span of 72 hours, raping and repeatedly strangling the victim while threatening her life. This is a dangerous individual and a convicted sex offender who is now off our streets thanks to the excellent work of the Suffolk County Police Department and Assistant District Attorney Ferron Lien."
According to reports, Johnson is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, second-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, two counts of second-degree burglary, second-degree strangulation, five counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief and petty larceny.
Justice Chris Ann Kelley, acting Suffolk County Supreme Court justice, set bail at $500,000 cash, $1 million bond, or $5 million partially-secured bond. He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society and is due back in court on March 9. If convicted, Johnson faces up to 40 years in prison, if sentenced consecutively.