An ex-convict on parole for life in connection with the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in New York City in 1987 faces new charges for a second sexual assault, despite being arrested last year.
According to law enforcement sources who spoke with the New York Post, Charles Rowe, 56, took advantage of New York’s “Less is More” Act, which enables parolees to avoid jail time to commit additional crimes.
Rowe was released from custody in December 2022 despite facing a felony charge for allegedly stealing a vehicle. New court documents indicate that he is currently accused of assaulting one woman and raping another. Earlier this month, Rowe was incarcerated.
A law enforcement source told the New York Post, “Charles Rowe is the poster child for parole violations.” He served time for one of the most heinous crimes I’ve witnessed in forty years, and less than a year after his release; he robbed a vehicle.
In 2021, “Less is More” was enacted into law by New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul. It began the previous year.
“Thanks to the governor’s ‘Less is More’ policy, it is almost impossible to violate someone,” the source continued. “Lowering the standards is to blame for a woman fighting off a monster and another woman being raped in two horrifying crimes in which both women were threatened with death.”
In 1987, Rowe was initially convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in her bedroom. According to judicial documents, her relatives discovered her body on Christmas morning at approximately 1:00 a.m.
He was given a prison sentence of 20 years to life. On January 19, 2022, however, after spending nearly 35 years in prison, he was released on parole for life.
In December of that same year, Rowe allegedly stole a van from a U-Haul storage facility while he was supposed to be under strict parole supervision. He was charged with grand theft and other felonies.
Rowe was released on his own recognizance pending a preliminary hearing in his parole revocation case.
A DOCCS spokesperson told the New York Post that Rowe failed to appear for his final hearing on January 12 and again after missing the rescheduled date of January 31. The hearing was once again rescheduled for March 17.
According to the report, Rowe failed to appear in court on March 15 and April 12 for the pending auto theft case, and arrest warrants were issued for him. Ultimately, he returned to court.
At the U-Haul facility, Rowe allegedly committed multiple assaults and other offenses, according to the prosecution.
He allegedly assaulted a 69-year-old woman on March 13.
On April 25, he was brought back to the U-Haul facility, where he allegedly assaulted and threatened a 61-year-old woman.
The very next day, Rowe returned and was captured on surveillance video burglarizing the business, according to court documents.
On May 13, Rowe was arrested and charged in relation to these offenses.
According to court documents, he was arraigned the next day on multiple offenses, including first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, predatory sexual assault, first- and second-degree robbery, weapons possession, burglary, and petit larceny.
The district attorney’s office told the New York Post that the judge set bail at $250,000 in cash or a $750,000 surety.
Rowe remains incarcerated on Rikers Island until his next court date on June 28.
