NEW ROCHELLE, NY (March 23, 2026) — A New Rochelle man pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the repeated sexual abuse of a 15-year-old boy from the city and the subsequent disposal of the victim’s body.
Hugo Perez-Gabriel, 33, of New Rochelle, entered the guilty plea Wednesday in Westchester County Court to Use of a Child Less Than Seventeen Years of Age in a Sexual Performance, a class C felony; Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a class E felony; and Tampering with Physical Evidence, a class E felony.
Judge Robert Prisco promised Perez-Gabriel a total indeterminate sentence of 9 to 15 years in state prison, plus 10 years of post-release supervision and mandatory sex-offender registration. Sentencing is scheduled for April 28.
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace said the crimes involved sexual abuse of the victim on Aug. 29, 2024; inducing the victim to engage in a sexual performance on video on Feb. 3, 2025; and, along with a 16-year-old boy, dragging and disposing of the victim’s body in the City of New Rochelle on Feb. 6, 2025.
“The heinous crimes committed by this defendant against a 15-year-old boy can hardly be put into words,” Cacace said. “It is unfathomable what the victim was made to suffer through before his premature death. The defendant’s actions toward him were nothing short of merciless.”
Cacace added: “My heart breaks for the victim’s family, who are left to contemplate life without his companionship. I hope they can take a measure of solace in the fact that the defendant will now be locked away for a substantial period of time.”
The Westchester County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was “acute ethanol intoxication, accident”..
Jonson Temaj of New Rochelle, NY was 15 years of age at the time of his death.
The investigation was conducted by the New Rochelle Police Department and the District Attorney’s High-Tech Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Child Sexual Abuse Material Bureau Chief Laura Forbes and Senior Assistant District Attorney Mollie O’Rourke.
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This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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