Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that a fugitive from justice who absconded to Mexico after raping a young child over a decade ago has admitted to his criminal conduct.
Galo Herrera, 53, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, before Judge Maurice Dean Williams.
DA Cacace said: “The defendant’s cowardly scheme to evade accountability, nearly 20 years in the making, could not outrun the long arm of the justice system. In the intervening years, this office never ceased working to secure his return to the United States. I am hopeful this guilty plea will provide the victim with the closure she has long deserved.”
Between December 2006 and January 2007, the defendant forcibly raped a young child who was under the age of 13 years old at the time. Herrera fled the jurisdiction before he could be apprehended on these charges.
In 2008, Herrera was indicted on one count of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, a class A-II felony, two counts of Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor.
He was extradited to Westchester earlier this year.
The case was investigated by the Mount Vernon Police Department, the Westchester DA’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Westchester County Department of Labs and Research and the New York State Police Crime Lab were utilized in the course of the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Gudis.
