Schenectady man faces 30 years in prison for rape and arson

A Schenectady man faces an estimated 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to arson and rape charges Monday.

Dakiem Demonia, 21, admitted in Schenectady District Court to three separate crimes that occurred within a week of each other in the spring.

It started on May 27 when Demonia met a woman on a social media app and invited her to his apartment at 1315 Lower Broadway. After she arrived, he pointed a knife at her and forced her to perform sexual acts, according to the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office.

The victim escaped and ran into the street, where the good Samaritans heard the commotion and called the police. Officers arrested Demonia at the scene.

Then, in the middle of the night on May 29, Demonia returned to the apartment building and set it on fire. According to prosecutors, he was upset that the landlord was trying to evict him. Demonia left the scene before police arrived but was seen on security video. No one was injured, but the building was damaged, forcing residents to temporarily relocate.

Demonia also admitted threatening a woman he had met the day before with a knife if she did not perform sexual acts in his car. She ran out of the car, but then he dragged her into a wooded area in the park, choked her and sexually assaulted her. He also grabbed her purse and left the scene.

A passerby called the police. They later found Demonia’s genetic material on her leggings.

Police arrested Demonia on June 1 after seeing him walking down the street. He ran away, but a K-9 was able to take him down and take him into custody.

“It is clear to us that Mr Demonia poses a clear and present danger as he is a violent man who repeatedly takes advantage of women he meets and is prepared to set a house on fire – thereby ending people’s lives endanger those who are sleeping soundly at this time. It was important to our office that he receive separate sentences for each of these violent crimes and that those sentences run consecutively.”

At sentencing on February 11, Demonia will receive a prison sentence of 10 years for each count of rape, attempted arson and arson, for a total of 30 years.