Co-defendant in brutal rape case alleged in May has had his case sealed
WHITE PLAINS, NY (August 19, 2026) — A New Rochelle man charged with forcibly raping a woman near New Rochelle High School last year will be sentenced next month not for rape, but for robbery, after prosecutors agreed to a plea deal that resolved every rape-related charge against him — including First-Degree Rape alleging forcible anal sexual conduct — without a conviction on any of them, according to court records.
The disposition stands in contrast to the language Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace used when announcing the indictment in May. “The assaults the victim was made to endure were amplified tenfold when she was revictimized over and over again during an unsparing, alleged attack,” Cacace said at the time. “I am proud of her bravery and composure in coming forward to share her story with the police, and I will honor this bravery by doing everything in my power to hold these defendants accountable for what they allegedly did to her that day. All rape survivors have a champion in my office.”
Destin Medina, 20, was charged by indictment in April 2026 with Rape in the First Degree, a class B violent felony; two counts of Robbery in the Second Degree; Assault in the Second Degree; Rape in the Third Degree; and Forcible Touching, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. Talk of the Sound reported in May that court records showed the rape charge specifically alleged forcible anal sexual conduct — a detail not previously made public.
Court records reviewed by Talk of the Sound now show that Medina pleaded guilty to a single count of Robbery in the Second Degree, aided by another person, a class C felony. Every other charge against him, including the First-Degree Rape count, is listed in court records as “covered by” that plea — meaning it was resolved, not through a separate conviction, but as part of the robbery plea itself. Medina is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16, 2026, before Judge James A. McCarty Jr. in Westchester County Court.
The District Attorney’s Office has not responded to a request for comment on the basis for resolving the rape charges through a robbery plea.
Co-defendant Lonell Alexander, 22, was also charged in connection with the Oct. 10, 2025 incident, with two counts of Robbery in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the Second Degree, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office told Talk of the Sound that the case against Alexander stemming from that incident has been sealed.
The District Attorney’s Office said Alexander’s only active case in Westchester County is a separate matter in which he pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Petit Larceny in connection with an Aug. 24, 2024 incident. Alexander is scheduled to be sentenced in that case Aug. 24, 2026, before Judge Erin M. McGoey.
Court records reviewed by Talk of the Sound also show a separate open case for Alexander, indexed as IND-70893-26/002, tied to a Dec. 2, 2025 incident, in which Alexander pleaded guilty to Robbery in the Second Degree and Robbery in the Third Degree. That case is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 17, 2026, before Judge Capeci. Asked specifically about that case, the District Attorney’s Office maintained that the Grand Larceny/Petit Larceny matter is Alexander’s only active case in Westchester County.
Talk of the Sound first reported on the indictments in May 2026, when the District Attorney’s Office announced the arrests and described the underlying allegations. According to the felony complaint, Medina raped the victim near New Rochelle High School on Oct. 10, 2025, then lured her to another location where he, Alexander and a third individual allegedly assaulted her and took her purse. The victim fled and was aided by a good Samaritan, according to the complaint.
The third individual was not identified in the District Attorney’s Office’s public statements, and it remains unclear from court records reviewed by Talk of the Sound whether that person has been charged.”
The New Rochelle Police Department investigated the case. Assistant District Attorney Daniela Pisahov is prosecuting.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound.com (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.
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This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.