Two illegal immigrants were apprehended for an alleged knifepoint rape in Coney Island, law enforcement reported on Monday. Daniel Davon-Bonilla, 24, from Nicaragua, is accused of attacking a 46-year-old woman late Sunday night. He purportedly threw her to the ground and raped her while holding a knife to her neck, according to police and sources. Accompanying him, Mexican migrant Leovando Moreno, 37, reportedly struck the woman’s 34-year-old boyfriend with a pipe when he intervened.
Davon-Bonilla had been released from jail less than two months prior for another sexual assault at a city-funded shelter. He had entered the United States illegally in December 2022 through Texas. In April 2023, he was arrested for allegedly raping a woman at a La Quinta Hotel in Gowanus, Brooklyn, which had been converted into a migrant shelter. He served about a year in jail before being released in June following a plea deal.
The weekend assault occurred near Surf Avenue and West 16th Street. Local residents reported that the poorly lit walkway under the boardwalk is frequently occupied by vagrants and littered with drug paraphernalia. The female victim, who had been living under the boardwalk with her boyfriend, was reportedly approached by Davon-Bonilla while she was alone. After offering her trinkets in exchange for sex and being refused, he allegedly attacked her. Her boyfriend tried to intervene but was struck by Moreno with a pipe.
Davon-Bonilla has been charged with first-degree rape, second-degree assault, first-degree sexual abuse, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. Moreno faces charges of second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He also pleaded not guilty and is held on $20,000 bail. Both are due in court on Friday.
Biden-Harris Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources indicated that Davon-Bonilla entered the country illegally in December 2022 and provided agents with a Miami homeless shelter address. He later moved to New York City. Immigration officials did not comment why he was allowed to remain in the country after his release in June.