Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Rape of 12-Year-Old Girl in Apartment Building Stairwell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for
Rape of 12-Year-Old Girl in Apartment Building Stairwell

Defendant Was a Stranger to Victim; Followed Her into Building

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Greenpoint man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping a 12-year-old stranger after following her into the lobby of her East Williamsburg apartment building, dragging her into a stairwell, and raping her.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This defendant followed and victimized a vulnerable child, shattering her sense of safety. Today's sentence and the defendant's guilty plea ensures that justice is done, protects the young victim from the trauma of testifying at trial, and ensures the defendant is kept off the streets of Brooklyn and unable to harm others."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Eric McMichael, 28, of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who was residing at a men's shelter near the victim's building at the time of the attack. He was sentenced today to 18 years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Masateru Marubashi. The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child on May 13, 2026.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on November 6, 2025, at approximately 5:42 p.m., the defendant followed a 12-year-old girl, who was a stranger, into the lobby of an apartment building in East Williamsburg and grabbed her. The defendant pushed the child into a nearby stairwell and raped her before fleeing the scene.

The child was taken to a local hospital for treatment following the attack. The defendant was identified following an investigation and apprehended by the NYPD the next day.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Taylor Tesher, of the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Ebonie Legrand, Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.

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