Sex fiend Peter Braunstein, who posed as firefighter to brutally rape NYC magazine co-worker in 2005, up for parole hearing
One of the Big Apple's most infamous sex predators could be released from prison in a matter of weeks, The Post has learned.
Former fashion magazine writer-turned-sexual torturer Peter Braunstein will have his first hearing before the state Parole Board during the week of Aug. 18, according to a corrections official who said an exact date has not been set.
The 61-year-old onetime 'Women's Wear Daily' journo sexually brutalized a co-worker he'd grown obsessed with. He set a fire outside the victim's Chelsea apartment on Halloween night in 2005, and gained access to her home by posing as a responding fireman.
Advertisement
8 Peter Braunstein has spent the last 18 years behind prison bars.
AP
Braunstein then chloroformed the 36-year-old woman, drugged her, stripped her naked, bound her, and sexually assaulted her over more than 13 hellish hours. Her name is being withheld by The Post.
He scrawled a mocking note on her mirror, 'Bye — Hope things turn around for U soon.'
Advertisement
8 Braunstein bought this fireman's raincoat from eBay.
Steven Hirsch
Braunstein — who was on probation at the time for menacing his ex-girlfriend, the late fashion editor Jane Larkworthy — videotaped the savage sexual abuse.
Braunstein went on the run after the vicious rape, becoming the most wanted man in America. The NYPD launched a nationwide manhunt, with daily headlines tracking the creep's movements from upstate New York to Ohio.
After two months, on Dec. 16, he was spotted strolling across the University of Memphis campus.
Advertisement
8 The story was covered extensiveky by The Post.
New York Post
'I'm the guy you're looking for,' he shouted at university cops as they closed in.
He then stabbed himself in the neck more than a dozen times with a 3-inch blade.
'[He] stated that he cannot believe that he missed [killing himself], because he did research and studied the carotid artery,' cops revealed in a statement follwing his arrest.
Advertisement
Weeks before the start of his sensational monthlong trial, Braunstein feebly tried hanging himself inside Rikers Island. Prosecutors argued in court Braunstein was self-harming to delay the criminal proceedings.
8 Braunstein spent two months on the run.
Shannon DeCelle
His lawyers contended he suffered from depression, and claimed he attempted suicide in late 2004 – when he worked for W magazine — by carving into his own chest with a knife. However, he told police Larkworthy had attacked him.
'He was incredibly charming,' Larkworthy — who died of cancer earlier this month — testified in court at his 2007 trial. 'He was incredibly intelligent. And flirtatious. And very intriguing. And very funny. I loved him.'
Braunstein was convicted of kidnapping, sexual abuse, robbery and burglary on May 23, 2007.
8 The Post covered Braunstein's every move while he was on the lam.
New York Post
In sentencing Braunstein to 18 years to life in prison, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber scolded him for displaying 'true apathy for the victims in this case.'
After his conviction, his late mother said she wanted him to kill himself while he was behind bars, believing he'd be unable to adapt to prison life.
Advertisement
During a jailhouse interview with The Post at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate Dannemora six months after his sentencing, Braunstein confessed, 'It's a good thing that I'm locked up, because I've been having violent fantasies. I don't know what I'm capable of.'
He was unrepentant and even called Larkworthy, his first victim, 'evil incarnate.'
8 Braunstein left a taunting message for his victim on a mirror.
William Miller
Braunstein made headlines again in 2013 when prison guards swiped his copy of kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard's 2011 autobiography, 'A Stolen Life.' Prison administrators had had banned the book, because Dugard described being sexually assaulted in it.
Advertisement
Braunstein was also barred in 2013 from reading 'Dark Dreams,' a 2001 book by profiler Roy Hazelwood that explores the minds of sexual predators.
In 2014, he sued officials at Dannemora prison for denying him access to 'Cellar of Horror: The Story of Gary Heidnik,' a serial murderer and rapist. He was also barred access to alt-porn website Burning Angel.
8 The multi-state manhunt was front-page news for weeks.
New York Post
After his 2007 trial, Braunstein also lost a bid seeking the return of bondage pornography investigators had seized from his home. Today, he's being held at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum secuirty prison in Alden, N.Y.
Advertisement
Braunstein's bid for freedom comes at a time when New York's Parole Board is under heavy scrutiny for springing 43 cop killers in the past eight years.
8 During his trial, Braunstein expressed no remorse for the vicious attack.
NYP
Critics say the panel is filled with lefty political has-beens adhering to new rules that now weigh the supposed rehabilitation of criminals in prison more heavily than the heinous nature of their crimes.
Advertisement
The 16-member board, largely appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, includes the wife of a convicted killer who served more than 30 years behind bars.
Victim rights advocates said Braunstein should stay locked up for good.
'This rapist's crimes were exceptionally vicious,' said Jane Manning, director of the group Women's Equal Justice and a former sex crimes prosecutor with the Queens district attorney's office. 'He vowed to reoffend if given a chance. He should never be released.'
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
15 hours ago
- New York Post
Rescued Queens Malinois puppies ready for adoption
Six weeks after dozens of Belgian Malinois pups were rescued from a filthy Queens apartment coated in urine and feces, the young survivors are bouncing back — learning to play, trust and just be dogs. Among them is Lafayette, the youngest of the 48 dogs pulled from the hoarder's home. He was just 3 weeks old, toothless and so weak rescuers feared the worst. 'There was a question mark at one point about whether he would survive,' said Rachel Maso, director of animal behavior at NYC's ASPCA, who assisted in the two-day rescue. Advertisement 5 The puppies showed 'immense resilience and excitement,' a sharp contrast to the terrified adult dogs who struggled to adjust after living in the cramped Queens apartment, Maso said. Helayne Seidman Now, Lafayette and four of the other puppies named after NYC streets — Wooster, Broome, Grand and Rivington — are healthy, playful and finally ready for adoption. The Post was recently given a sneak peak at their progress. Animal welfare officials, alongside the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit, responded to Isaac Yadgarov's seventh-floor Forest Hills apartment on May 8 and found a disturbing scene — dozens of dogs, ranging from 3 weeks to 3 years old, crammed into a foul-smelling, urine- and feces-covered unit, prosecutors said. Advertisement Some were stuffed into closets and cupboards with no access to fresh air or sunlight. Three were in such poor condition they had to be euthanized. 5 Officials discovered nearly 50 Belgian Malinois packed into a small Queens apartment, where urine and feces covered the floor, and some dogs were confined to closets and cupboards. ACC NYC The Belgian Malinois is a smart, agile and loyal breed prized for its trainability. Widely used by police and military, they excel in detection, patrol and protection roles and can grow to be 80 pounds. Of the 48 dogs rescued, 14 of the youngest and most medically vulnerable were taken by the ASPCA. The remaining 31 were transferred to the Animal Care Center in Queens and other partner rescue groups for evaluation and care — and have all since been placed. Advertisement 'You could smell the apartment in the hallway,' Maso, 39, said. 'They had extensive fecal soiling, and . . . you could guess that they didn't have food, water, ventilation.' 5 Rivington, once wary and protective of his food, has learned to share and play thanks to weeks of care and socialization at the ASPCA's Manhattan center. Helayne Seidman While many of the older dogs came out terrified of humans and unable to walk on leashes, Maso said the puppies showed something else: joy. 'What we saw in the puppies was an immense amount of resilience and excitement and wanting to interact with people,' she said. Advertisement Rivington, slightly older and from a different litter, initially was hesitant and refused to let other puppies near his food bowl — a sign he may have had to compete for meals in the overcrowded apartment, Maso said. 5 Lafayette, the tiniest survivor of the Queens hoarding nightmare, was just weeks old and fighting for his life when rescued. Now, he's bouncing around like any happy, healthy pup. Helayne Seidman 'It's very obvious the conditions of the apartment and the way they were kept impacted their ability to function outside in the world,' she said. After weeks of socialization, medical care and puppy-safe training, however, Rivington and the other pups have grown, healed and learned to trust, Maso said. Five are now 'thriving' and officially up for adoption at the ASPCA's Manhattan facility, while the other nine have already been adopted. 5 Following weeks of medical treatment and socialization, five Belgian Malinois puppies rescued from the apartment are now healthy, thriving and waiting for new homes at the ASPCA in Manhattan. Helayne Seidman Yadgarov, 37, faces 96 charges — two for each dog — including animal torture and failure to provide proper care, and could face up to a year behind bars. He was released on his own recognizance on June 2, and the case remains under investigation.
New York Post
16 hours ago
- New York Post
Electing socialist Zohran Mamdani NYC mayor would spur cop exodus, rising crime: experts
A New York City led by socialist Zohran Mamdani will mean a two-pronged breakdown of public safety — crime spiraling out of control, and NYPD officers leaving en masse — experts and veteran cops say. Critics of the Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner heading into November's general election aren't buying Mamdani's 11th-hour vow that he won't 'defund the police' or shrink the NYPD's workforce if elected — a reversal of of his longstanding positions. Instead, they believe the U-turn during the final weeks of his primary campaign was just a craven political move to score votes with undecided voters. 'The city would be totally unsafe for people who live here,' predicted Scott Munro, president of the NYPD Detectives' Endowment Association. Advertisement 'I go to bed and worry about the phone ringing. I'm worried about my members getting killed. I don't want to plan any funerals,' he added. 7 A New York City led by socialist Zohran Mamdani (pictured) would mean public safety spiraling out of control with crime rising and NYPD officers leaving in masses, experts and veteran cops told The Post. Christopher Sadowski 'If you put a guy like him in there, our people are going to get hurt, and nobody's going to want the job. It's going to put recruitment back five more steps,' Munro said. Advertisement NYPD brass are quietly bracing for a potential mass exodus unless Mayor Adams, a Democrat and retired NYPD captain seeking re-election as an independent, or GOP mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, pull off an upset. 7 Fare beating in subways and other low-level lawlessness would all but be ignored under a Mamdani administration, many law-enforcement experts contend. Christopher Sadowski 'I've had guys call me and say 'If he wins, I'm quitting,'' a police source said of Mamdani. 'It's just weird that New York City would vote for him. I know he's not here for the police.' An NYPD officer planning to soon retire after nearly two decades on the job said the city's predominantly far-left leadership — especially on the City Council — already favors criminals over cops, and he believes such sentiment would grow worse under Mamdani. Advertisement 7 Mamdani a long history of calling for huge cuts to the NYPD but he now claims he has no plans to shrink the police force. 'This guy thinks the entire NYPD is racist,' the veteran said. 'I think right now the department is more diverse than it ever was before. I don't think this guy has even stepped foot in a precinct. He's completely clueless to what the police department is today. He's just going off a narrative that if you hate cops you're going to get elected.' 7 Mamdani won Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary. Paul Martinka Advertisement Mamdani's far-left platform doesn't include hiring more cops, a vow most other mayoral candidates made. Instead, he wants to create a new Department of Community Safety that operates separately from the Police Department. It would dramatically expand so-called 'violence interrupter programs' and mental health teams that respond to 911 calls — especially in the city's subway system, where violent attacks by unhinged homeless people have been commonplace. 'He's trying to take the existing Police Department and turn them into social workers,' said Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. 'He wants to . . . neuter the Police Department. 'Cops would not be able to function as they have taken their solemn oath to do, to protect us, to go out there and grab those who are committing crimes and to have them locked up,' Sliwa added. 'He has a weird notion of how policing is, as if it should be people like Mahatma Gandhi walking around, you know, functioning as a social worker. That does not work.' Under Adams' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who Mamdani has said he'd consider retaining if elected, major crimes – including homicides, robberies and shootings — are down 2% to date compared to last year and 8% since 2019. A longtime NYPD detective said he envisions the Big Apple under Mamdani's leadership morphing into a crime-ridden 'Gotham City' — straight out of 'Batman.' 7 Mamdani doesn't want NYPD cops dealing with the homeless in most situations — including those who are violent. Stephen Yang Advertisement The detective also said it is 'hypocritical' of Mamdani to accept round-the-clock, police-detail protection as a mayoral candidate while clearly disliking the NYPD. 'You have police protecting you, but you don't want to protect the people of New York City?' he said. 7 Former Mayor Bill de Blasio said he believes Mandani has been unfairly 'demonized' as anti-NYPD. Robert Miller However, far-left ex-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said he believes Mamdani has been unfairly 'demonized' during the campaign – especially by ex-Gov. and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo — and that New Yorkers shouldn't expect mass lawlessness under the 33-year-old socialist pol. Advertisement 'He wants to keep the city safe,' de Blasio insisted to The Post. 'He understands as a local elected official how important public safety is to people, and it's not going to help him achieve his economic agenda if the city isn't safe. 'He has a chance to choose a leader who shares his vision of getting more mental healthcare work done by healthcare professionals, rather than police officers,' added the ex-mayor, an avid Mamdani backer. 'I think a lot of police officers would agree with that. 7 Scott Munro, president of the NYPD Detectives' Endowment Association, said he believes there could be a mass exodus of cops leaving the NYPD if Mamdani is mayor. 'Nobody will take the job,' he said. Helayne Seidman Advertisement Mamdani did not return messages. Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime consultant of Democratic campaigns and law-enforcement agencies, said he's not buying Mamdani's claim that he won't gut the NYPD if elected mayor. 'His supporters say' he'll defund the police, said Sheinkopf. 'That's who he is, and that's what's gonna happen, and we can't afford to lose a single cop. If this guy gets in power, we're gonna lose a lot of cops.'
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Sex fiend Peter Braunstein, who posed as firefighter to brutally rape NYC magazine co-worker in 2005, up for parole hearing
One of the Big Apple's most infamous sex predators could be released from prison in a matter of weeks, The Post has learned. Former fashion magazine writer-turned-sexual torturer Peter Braunstein will have his first hearing before the state Parole Board during the week of Aug. 18, according to a corrections official who said an exact date has not been set. The 61-year-old onetime 'Women's Wear Daily' journo sexually brutalized a co-worker he'd grown obsessed with. He set a fire outside the victim's Chelsea apartment on Halloween night in 2005, and gained access to her home by posing as a responding fireman. Advertisement 8 Peter Braunstein has spent the last 18 years behind prison bars. AP Braunstein then chloroformed the 36-year-old woman, drugged her, stripped her naked, bound her, and sexually assaulted her over more than 13 hellish hours. Her name is being withheld by The Post. He scrawled a mocking note on her mirror, 'Bye — Hope things turn around for U soon.' Advertisement 8 Braunstein bought this fireman's raincoat from eBay. Steven Hirsch Braunstein — who was on probation at the time for menacing his ex-girlfriend, the late fashion editor Jane Larkworthy — videotaped the savage sexual abuse. Braunstein went on the run after the vicious rape, becoming the most wanted man in America. The NYPD launched a nationwide manhunt, with daily headlines tracking the creep's movements from upstate New York to Ohio. After two months, on Dec. 16, he was spotted strolling across the University of Memphis campus. Advertisement 8 The story was covered extensiveky by The Post. New York Post 'I'm the guy you're looking for,' he shouted at university cops as they closed in. He then stabbed himself in the neck more than a dozen times with a 3-inch blade. '[He] stated that he cannot believe that he missed [killing himself], because he did research and studied the carotid artery,' cops revealed in a statement follwing his arrest. Advertisement Weeks before the start of his sensational monthlong trial, Braunstein feebly tried hanging himself inside Rikers Island. Prosecutors argued in court Braunstein was self-harming to delay the criminal proceedings. 8 Braunstein spent two months on the run. Shannon DeCelle His lawyers contended he suffered from depression, and claimed he attempted suicide in late 2004 – when he worked for W magazine — by carving into his own chest with a knife. However, he told police Larkworthy had attacked him. 'He was incredibly charming,' Larkworthy — who died of cancer earlier this month — testified in court at his 2007 trial. 'He was incredibly intelligent. And flirtatious. And very intriguing. And very funny. I loved him.' Braunstein was convicted of kidnapping, sexual abuse, robbery and burglary on May 23, 2007. 8 The Post covered Braunstein's every move while he was on the lam. New York Post In sentencing Braunstein to 18 years to life in prison, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber scolded him for displaying 'true apathy for the victims in this case.' After his conviction, his late mother said she wanted him to kill himself while he was behind bars, believing he'd be unable to adapt to prison life. Advertisement During a jailhouse interview with The Post at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate Dannemora six months after his sentencing, Braunstein confessed, 'It's a good thing that I'm locked up, because I've been having violent fantasies. I don't know what I'm capable of.' He was unrepentant and even called Larkworthy, his first victim, 'evil incarnate.' 8 Braunstein left a taunting message for his victim on a mirror. William Miller Braunstein made headlines again in 2013 when prison guards swiped his copy of kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard's 2011 autobiography, 'A Stolen Life.' Prison administrators had had banned the book, because Dugard described being sexually assaulted in it. Advertisement Braunstein was also barred in 2013 from reading 'Dark Dreams,' a 2001 book by profiler Roy Hazelwood that explores the minds of sexual predators. In 2014, he sued officials at Dannemora prison for denying him access to 'Cellar of Horror: The Story of Gary Heidnik,' a serial murderer and rapist. He was also barred access to alt-porn website Burning Angel. 8 The multi-state manhunt was front-page news for weeks. New York Post After his 2007 trial, Braunstein also lost a bid seeking the return of bondage pornography investigators had seized from his home. Today, he's being held at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum secuirty prison in Alden, N.Y. Advertisement Braunstein's bid for freedom comes at a time when New York's Parole Board is under heavy scrutiny for springing 43 cop killers in the past eight years. 8 During his trial, Braunstein expressed no remorse for the vicious attack. NYP Critics say the panel is filled with lefty political has-beens adhering to new rules that now weigh the supposed rehabilitation of criminals in prison more heavily than the heinous nature of their crimes. Advertisement The 16-member board, largely appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, includes the wife of a convicted killer who served more than 30 years behind bars. Victim rights advocates said Braunstein should stay locked up for good. 'This rapist's crimes were exceptionally vicious,' said Jane Manning, director of the group Women's Equal Justice and a former sex crimes prosecutor with the Queens district attorney's office. 'He vowed to reoffend if given a chance. He should never be released.' Additional reporting by Tina Moore
