A self-proclaimed spiritual healer has been accused of luring two women to his home, knocking them out with alcohol and raping them. On two separate occasions, Nigel Kennedy allegedly held religious ceremonies for the victims. According to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Kennedy caused the women to lose consciousness and then had intercourse without their consent.
Kennedy used to own a religious goods store called Psychic Kaballah, and calls himself a religious and spiritual leader.
When she eventually woke up at 5 a.m. the next day, naked on a bed, Kennedy claimed he didn’t know what happened to her clothes, prosecutors said.
The woman left the apartment and suffered from nausea, vomiting and dizziness throughout the day.
Both victims went to hospitals after the rapes and DNA recovered from both women matched to Kennedy, prosecutors said.
Kennedy was arrested Sept. 7 after arriving at Kennedy Airport from Trinidad.
“We allege that this defendant is a sexual predator who used his religious stature to lure women, then drugged and raped them,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “We will now seek to hold him accountable for these despicable alleged acts.”
Gonzalez encouraged other possible victims to contact the DA’s Action Center at 718-250-2340.
During the arraignment Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Gwen Barnes said Kennedy met both of his alleged victims at a religious store he owned in the neighborhood.
Barnes asked that Kennedy’s bail be increased to $150,000.
Defense attorney Christopher Perks argued Kennedy was not a flight risk.
“He never missed a court date. He dropped everything he had to do today to respect his commitment,” Perks said.
Judge William Miller kept Kennedy’s bail at $35,000, which Kennedy previously posted.
“These are obviously very serious allegations. Very, very serious cases,” Miller said. “Stay away from complainants, but today I’m not going to increase your bail.”
Kennedy left the courtroom after the hearing and declined to speak with the Daily News.
He allegedly met the victims at the store, which was located at 4714 Church Avenue in Brooklyn.
The first incident occurred on August 30, 2016, around 10pm, when a 42-year-old woman went to Kennedy's apartment on East 52nd Street in East Flatbush for a church ceremony, according to the district attorney.
Kennedy allegedly started chanting and poured a clear liquid that tasted like alcohol into the victim's mouth.
The victim then lost consciousness, but when she regained consciousness, she told authorities that she felt a person on top of her. However, she was unable to move.She lost consciousness again and woke up at 5am the next day, naked on a bed.
women to lose consciousness and then had intercourse without their consent.
Kennedy used to own a religious goods store called Psychic Kaballah, and calls himself a religious and spiritual leader.
He allegedly met the victims at the store, which was located at 4714 Church Avenue in Brooklyn.
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