Woman raped by pizza delivery boy says 2012 attack ruined her life
Former actress Kia Graves, 37, says her world fell apart after Cesar Lucas, now 16, allegedly slipped into her West Side apartment and attacked her while her 7-year-old daughter slept beside her. The suspect is due for a hearing Tuesday at Manhattan Supreme Court, and Graves may have to face him during the trial.
Kia Graves has made her pain public after being viciously attacked in her West Side high-rise as she slept on Sept. 29, 2012.
Her lonely days are spent in paralyzing fear, her sleepless nights in sweat-soaked terror.
Former actress Kia Graves, going public for the first time since she was raped on Sept. 29, 2012, says her world was shattered when a baby-faced pizza delivery boy allegedly attacked her.
“I have nightmares thinking that he’s getting out of jail, and I wake up all the time making sure my door is locked,” the single mom told the Daily News through tears.
“I sleep with one eye open, basically ... I have panic attacks and I wake up in sweats.”
Her last good night’s sleep was interrupted when rape suspect Cesar Lucas slipped into her 10th-floor apartment in a luxury West Side high rise, authorities say.
'I have panic attacks and I wake up in sweats,' says Graves, seen here in her apartment where the alleged crime took place.
The worker from Sal’s Pizza violated Graves as the victim’s 7-year-old daughter slept peacefully alongside her, authorities charged. Mother and child had gone to bed about 90 minutes earlier.
The 37-year-old victim recalled how her cries for help were muffled by her attacker’s hand across her mouth. The accused rapist apologized before fleeing.
Graves remembered waking in a state of panic that night — a condition that plagues her 16 months later. Her rattled nerves are hardly settled by the prospect of someday facing Lucas in court.
The 5-foot-6, 130-pound suspect, on his 17th birthday, is due Tuesday at a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing.
Graves says she tries to only leave her apartment for doctors' visits and simple errands, and does not enjoy holiday or birthday celebrations.
The former actress, stage performer and modeling agent said she’s been unable to work since the attack.
“I live in fear,” she said.
The News generally doesn’t identify victims of sex crimes, but Graves came forward voluntarily — revealing her identity and sharing her story.
The raven-haired victim and her daughter still live in the apartment where she was raised and raped. Though she slept through the attack, the little girl is now alarmed by the changes in her mom.
“She thinks something bad will happen to me,” Graves said.
Graves has sued Alfred Condominium (pictured) and Halstead Management Co. for allegedly failing to thwart the attack and provide building security.
A break-in by a random rapist was never something to fear at The Alfred, a W. 61st St. condo where residents enjoyed a sense of security.
Graves grew up in the building, where her mother also still lives. But she says the feeling of safety has now evaporated.
“I’m scared that my rapist will get out of jail and he knows where I live,” she said. “There’s constant fear and anxiety.”
Graves, her voice breaking, said she is too emotionally crippled to move out of the apartment/crime scene.
Pizza delivery boy Cesar Lucas is walked out of the 20th Precinct on Sept. 29, 2012, after his arrest for the rape.
“I don’t know what to do,” she said hopelessly. “I’m just seeing my doctor and hoping for the best.”
Graves, until the night of her rape, enjoyed a happy life. She started acting at a young age, and by the 1990s landed gigs on Broadway and at the Met.
She landed a role in the 1991 Harrison Ford flick “Regarding Henry.” And in an eerie coincidence, she appeared on a 1995 “Law and Order” episode about a teenager raped by a high school classmate.
After college, she shifted from acting to the fashion industry.
At the time of the attack, Graves was working for a reputable modeling agency — scouting models to work with big-name designers and retailers.
Facebook photo of Lucas, 16, who is due Tuesday at a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing.
She also led “a regular social life,” including daily trips to the gym. It was a far cry from her current self-imposed isolation.
“I used to go out sometimes after work,” she said. “We used to have parties or go out. I used to date. I wasn’t a social butterfly, but I had a normal social life, definitely.”
Now she stays at home. Graves is terrified of crowds on the subway, and tries to limit her trips to doctors’ visits and simple errands.
She wanted no part of the celebrations on Christmas or her birthday two weeks ago. Both were “horrible,” she said.
Graves is also naming Sal's Pizza in her lawsuit. Lucas was on a run for the pizza place when he committed the alleged crime.
It remains to be seen if Graves will have to relive the vicious assault before a jury.
Lucas is charged with rape, burglary, sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child in the attack. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
He allegedly told authorities he raped Graves because he was “feeling horny.” Lucas had a previous bust for breaking into an apartment while delivering pizza.
If he takes a plea, Graves may be spared the pain of having to testify. His lawyer could not be reached.
Graves has sued Alfred Condominium and Halstead Management Co. for allegedly failing to thwart the attack and provide building security. They’ve denied responsibility.
Delivery bikes in front of Sal's Pizza on 10th Ave., where Lucas worked when he allegedly attacked Graves.
Also named in her lawsuit are Lucas, New York Sal’s Pizza and building doorman Luis Rodriguez — who lost his job after the alleged crime.
After staffing cuts, Rodriguez was the only overnight man on duty in a 221-unit building when the pizza delivery was made. He previously told The News there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.
Lucas reportedly spent nearly 30 minutes in the building without anyone checking after arriving with the pizza.
“There is no excuse for what happened here,” said Graves’ lawyer Marc Albert. “How can you explain allowing a pizza delivery man into your building after midnight and then allowing him to roam the hallways of the building for over 20 minutes without taking action?”
Graves, in spite of everything, said she carries a bit of sympathy for the youthful attacker.
“The strange thing is, I feel bad for the little boy, because he’s so young and he’s messed up his life," she said.
“But then by the same token I’m scared to death of him.”
