Convicted rapist arrested for attempted murder after mother found beaten on Randall's Island
RANDALL'S ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- A convicted rapist has been arrested in the brutal beating of a 44-year-old woman on Randall's Island.
Miguel Jiraud, 30, is charged with attempted murder for his alleged attack on Diana Agudelo.
"Earlier this week, we had a horrific assault on a woman on Randall's Island. She received immediate medical attention and is currently in the hospital fighting for her life. We had a very aggressive investigation, and we have identified a person that we believe to be responsible for that assault," NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Jiraud was living at the men's shelter on Randall's Island and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of his arrest.
He previously served 12 years in prison for the rape of a 28-year-old woman in the Bronx, and was out on parole.
When asked if he committed the horrific crime as he was led out of the police precinct to court, Jiraud responded, "I found her. That's what I have to say. I found her."
Reporters asked if he beat Agudelo, and he said, "No, I did not. Look at my hands. My hands are perfect. I found her."
Agudelo remains in critical condition after she was struck in the face and head several times on Randall's Island last Friday, leaving her daughter distraught and searching for answers.
"When I saw her in the hospital room, like I remember just falling down to my knees because the woman I saw up there didn't look like my mom," she said. "She was so swollen."
Agudelo was biking home from work in Manhattan, taking her usual shortcut through Randall's Island at around 11:30 p.m. on May 16, when she was beaten so viciously that she had to be put in a medically induced coma.
While she was believed to have been attacked at 11:30 p.m., she wasn't found until daylight after 5 a.m. the next morning, when she was spotted by a passerby.
She was in an area of Randalls Island without any surveillance cameras, forcing detectives to release her photo as they searched for any witnesses.
Detectives recently caught a break when they pulled her e-bike from the East River, where it was apparently tossed by the suspect. They then used the e-bike to recover forensic evidence.
One of her black Skechers sneakers was also found in a trash can when first responders found her lying near the bike path, not far from the psychiatric hospital on Randall's Island.
After undergoing emergency brain surgery, the prognosis is bleak for Agudelo.
Agudelo's daughter Stephanie Rodas says she hopes donations will cover the mounting medical expenses.
She says she knows so many people are praying for her mom.
"I tell her people are rooting for her, we're all here," Rodas said.
ALSO READ: Daughter speaks out after mother brutally beaten on Randall's Island
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