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Kawami R. Junor, 28, of Bayonne, was convicted on all charges, including sexual assault, criminal restraint and criminal sexual contact, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
Junor was additionally found guilty of assault by auto, a disorderly persons offense, by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley following the verdict.
Junor is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6.
On June 5, 2020, near Lot C of the Gateway National Recreation Area Sandy Hook Unit, a good Samaritan flagged down a member of the National Park Service to alert them to the presence of an injured adult female in the area. The victim, who had sustained a leg injury, was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
An investigation by the MCPO Special Victims Bureau determined that the victim and the defendant had met the day before in Jersey City and had agreed to go on a first date at Sandy Hook. But after spending time on the beach, the investigation determined, he guided her to the backseat of his vehicle, forcibly removed her clothing, exposed himself, and sexually assaulted her – all while she loudly and repeatedly refused consent, Linskey said.
The victim fought back physically, and when she opened the car door to leave, Junor pushed her out onto the pavement and left the scene in his BMW, running over her foot on the way out of the parking lot, the prosecutor said.
The victim’s testimony, the witness’s testimony, and physical and digital evidence were leveraged to prove the case at trial.
“I am personally in awe of the courage it took for this victim to step onto the witness stand and describe what happened to her in vivid detail,” Linskey said. “This verdict is a tribute to her bravery, and delivers the justice she deserves.”
This case was handled by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Nicole Wallace of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau.
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