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Arohn Kee (born September 18, 1973), known as The East-Harlem Rapist, is an American serial killer and serial rapist who was responsible for four rapes and at least three murders of teenaged girls in different street blocks of East Harlem, located in Manhattan, New York City from 1991 to 1998.[2]
 |
Arohn Kee | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1973[1] |
| Other names | The East-Harlem Rapist |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (3 counts) Rape (2 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without parole |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3+ |
Span of crimes | 1991–1998 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New York |
Date apprehended | February 19, 1999 |
| Imprisoned at | Attica Correctional Facility |
On January 24, 1991, Kee, then only 17, killed a 13-year-old schoolgirl named Paola Illera.[3] He raped, stabbed and strangled her.
Subsequently, Kee would stalk lone women, follow them to a secluded area and rape them before fleeing.[4]
On September 13, 1997, Kee attacked 19-year-old Johalis Castro in the basement of her apartment building. He raped and smothered her, then burned her body while she was still breathing, possibly to prevent recognition.
On June 2, 1998, Kee raped and murdered 18-year-old Rasheeda Washington.
In January 1999, The New York Police Department (NYPD) conducted DNA testing on the biological evidence found on Rasheeda Washington's body. The DNA was linked to two Manhattan rape victims in 1995 and 1996 and led to the identity of the offender, Arohn Kee, who was now 25.[3] The NYPD put up a reward of US$11,000 (equivalent to $20,100 in 2023) for any information leading to his arrest.[5]
Kee, now wanted, kidnapped a 16-year-old girl named Angelique Stalling from her Brooklyn apartment and flew her out to Miami, Florida, sparking a manhunt across the east coast of the United States.[6] In the weeks after, Kee and Stalling rented many hotels, frequently moving from place to place around Miami. Miami police stormed his hotel room on the evening of February 19, 1999. They rescued Stalling and flew her back to New York.[6] Kee was soon flown back to New York, where he was charged with the murder of Rasheeda Washington, the kidnapping and false imprisonment of Stalling, and the two rapes from 1995 and 1996. Further testing of his DNA brought to light his involvement in the then unsolved murders of Paola Illera and Johalis Castro, as well as another rape from 1992.[3]
His trial started in 2000, with Kee being charged in all three murders and three other rapes, to which he pled not guilty. During the trial, Kee took the stand to make a statement in which he ranted that he was being framed, and that the DNA testing that was being used to convict him was fake, even though surviving victims identified him as their rapist.[7] On December 16, 2000, the jury found him guilty of all three murders and the three other rapes. When the verdict was read, Kee yelled “Fuck all of y’all!” At his sentencing in January 2001, he made a statement and apologized for how he had acted at his trial. He was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment.
After his conviction, authorities continued to conduct DNA testing on unsolved cases in the Harlem area to see if they could link a match in Kee's DNA to the evidence at the crime scenes. The testing was completed in 2004, and after that the NYPD now wanted to charge Kee with the July 1994 unsolved rape of a 17-year-old girl in her Harlem basement apartment.[4] Kee's DNA was a match to the DNA the perpetrator had left on the girl.
His trial was ordered to start in June 2004, but instead of pleading his innocence, he fully admitted what he did, saying that he was now reformed and ready to win forgiveness. During the trial, Kee showed signs of remorse for what he had done, fully admitting his guilt, and asked for forgiveness during a statement. On August 12, 2004, Kee was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape to run concurrent with his three life sentences.[4]
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