Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 22-year-old Daquawn D. Mike of Niagara Falls pleaded guilty yesterday morning before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller to three counts of Rape in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felonies).

On February 6, 2017, at approximately 9:50 p.m., the first female victim was walking in the area of Scajaquada Street and Kilhoffer Street in the City of Buffalo when she was attacked by the defendant. The defendant forcibly raped the victim at gunpoint. After the rape, the defendant stole the victim’s cell phone, pack of cigarettes and approximately $12 in cash. The victim reported the crime to police and underwent a rape kit at ECMC.

On February 21, 2017, at approximately 7:15 p.m., a second female victim was walking on Curtiss Street near Broadway in the City of Buffalo when she was attacked by the defendant. The defendant dragged the victim to the side of a nearby garage where he forcibly raped her at knifepoint. The victim reported the crime to police and underwent a rape kit at ECMC.

On July 3, 2017, at approximately 4:30 a.m., a third female victim was walking on Wick Street in the City of Buffalo when she was approached by the defendant who lured her to nearby area alongside train tracks. While pointing a gun to her head, the defendant forcibly raped the victim. The defendant stole the victim’s cell phone during the attack. The victim reported the crime to police and underwent a rape kit at ECMC.

As the defendant was not known to any of the three victims, the crimes are believed to be random attacks.

The defendant was indicted on the three rape cases while pending prosecution for possession of an illegal gun. On January 29, 2021, at approximately 8:44 p.m., the defendant was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle when Cheektowaga Police officers initiated a traffic stop on William Street near Charles Street after the driver failed to signal during a lane change. Officers found a loaded, illegal handgun under the front passenger seat during a search of the vehicle.

Prosecutors submitted the illegal weapon to the Erie Crime Analysis Center for forensic testing. The defendant was linked to the gun through DNA analysis, which also connected him to the three unsolved rape cases in the City of Buffalo.

Yesterday, Mike also pleaded guilty, as charged, to one count Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class “C” violent felony) in the gun case.

Mike faces 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced as a second felony offender on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. He continues to be held without bail.

DA Flynn commends Detective Mark Costantino of the Buffalo Police Department Special Victims Unit, Niagara County Probation Officer Jake Hinton, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners at ECMC, Erie Crime Analysis Center, Central Police Services, Cheektowaga Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service for their work in this investigation.

Both cases were prosecuted by Assistant Chief Cathleen M. Roemer of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Unit.