An Irvington man has been sentenced to 34½ years in prison after having been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman after following her home.
Kervin Joseph-Michel, 43, was convicted on Feb. 8, 2024, of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman in Irvington on Nov. 4, 2015. He was also convicted of assaulting the victim’s boyfriend who arrived home during the sexual assault.
The specific charges Joseph-Michel was convicted of were first-degree kidnapping, first-degree aggravated sexual assault while armed with a knife, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree aggravated assault, according to a press release from Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.
The trial was delayed for nearly a decade because the defendant was deemed incompetent to stand trial multiple times.
In the end, the prosecution proved that Joseph-Michel approached the victim as she was walking home while carrying her three-week-old infant son. The defendant repeatedly tried to engage her in conversation.
The victim rejected his advances and continued walking home. She was unaware that Joseph-Michel followed her.
Once inside her home, Joseph-Michel placed what he said was a gun to her back and forced her into the foyer, where he sexually assaulted her at knifepoint.
“The victim in this case is a hero,” said Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Celeste Montesino, who tried the case. “She showed extraordinary courage in the face of terrible violence against her and her immediate family. I hope that she finds peace knowing that this defendant will no longer be able to hurt her or anyone else.”
The public is encouraged to report any information related to criminal activity by contacting the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 877-847-7432. All calls remain confidential.
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