Self-Proclaimed 'Spiritual Leader' Allegedly Used Sham Rituals To Drug, Rape Women

Nigel Kennedy

A Brooklyn man has allegedly been leveraging his position as a self-appointed "spiritual leader" to entice women to his apartment, using the guise of religious "rituals" to incapacitate and rape his victims.

On Wednesday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the indictment of 51-year-old Nigel Kennedy, who has been charged with "first- and third-degree rape, first- and second-degree sexual abuse, and other related charges," according to the DA's office.

"We allege that this defendant is a sexual predator who used his religious stature to lure women, then drugged and raped them," Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "We will now seek to hold him accountable for these despicable alleged acts."

On the night of August 30th, 2016, Kennedy allegedly brought a 42-year-old woman back to his East Flatbush apartment, promising a "church ceremony" that ultimately involved Kennedy "speaking in tongues" and feeding the victim a "clear liquid that tasted like alcohol." She subsequently passed out, and said she awoke unable to move, but aware of another body on top of hers. She then lost consciousness a second time, coming to the next morning around 5 a.m. and finding herself naked on a bed in the apartment. Kennedy feigned ignorance about her nakedness, the DA said, and the woman left, "suffering from nausea, vomiting, and dizziness" for the rest of the day.

A second woman, 28, came forward with a similar story, alleging that—on May 16th of this year—she showed up at Kennedy's apartment around 10:30 a.m. to receive a "spiritual reading." Launching into the same type of pseudo-ritual, "The defendant allegedly blew smoke in her face and poured a substance that tasted like alcohol into her mouth," according to the DA. When she grew dizzy and threw up, Kennedy made her drink the liquid again. Like the first woman, she lost consciousness, and awoke to find her pants off and Kennedy raping her. "Relax, it's part of the ritual," he allegedly told her when she tried to push him off.

After the assaults, both women had rape kits taken, and the DNA collected matched Kennedy's. Authorities arrested him at JFK airport on September 7th, as he returned from Trinidad.

The DA believes Kennedy met both women through the religious goods store he used to own, and is urging anyone else who experienced similar treatment at Kennedy's hands to contact a tip line.

On its own, the top offense (first-degree rape) Kennedy faces carries a 25-year maximum prison sentence. He is currently being held on a $35,000 bail, awaiting trial on December 11th.