Boston Rapist

[GavinD80]

I had just recently watch this segment in which they are looking for someone who raped at least three women, if not more, in the Boston area.

Any updates on the case.

[everybodylovesrs]

I had just recently watch this segment in which they are looking for someone who raped at least three women, if not more, in the Boston area.

Any updates on the case.

No. He is still free and the limit of years on his case have since passed so even if caught he could not be charged

[Mastermind]

Watching this segment, a couple of things have come to mind

1. Although this guy can't be charged for the rapes of the women profiled in this case, he certainly can be charged for any later rapes he has done that have not gone past the statute of limitations.

2. I noticed that the rapist used a .357 Magnum, which is the standard weapon of police officers. Also added to his surveillence capabilities. I wonder if this guy is a cop o ex-cop?

[youngUMfan]

interesting thought Mastermind.

I however still agree with the reporter's thoughts that the rapist was more than one person

[justins5256]

This happened in my area and I've been following it for years but there is no info anywhere.

Is it true that the rapes stopped after the original UM broadcast? I seem to recall reading that here and found it interesting. I wonder if the guy saw all the publicity his crimes were generating and he decided to quit while he was ahead. Or perhaps he was arrested and incarcerated for another, unrelated, crime. It just seemed weird to me that the rapes stopped so abruptly.

[nicoge21]

Yes I think so. There are 3 Boston Metro articles about it. I understand that even if the guy was caught today he wouldn't get charged with anything. 2004 was the final year he could have been charged.



6 POLICE FORCES JOIN HUNT FOR ROBBER-RAPIST
Author(s): Tom Coakley, Globe Staff Date: January 17, 1990 Page: 17 Section: METRO
NORWOOD -- Police detectives from Boston and five area towns are looking into whether the same man has committed three rapes and two sexual assaults while robbing stores in their communities since Dec. 16.
Investigators from at least five of the communities will meet here today to compare reports, composite sketches, descriptions and other details of the crimes, which occurred in Boston, Braintree, Framingham, Dedham, Saugus and Norwood. The attacks include the daylight rape of two employees of a Framingham clothing store Dec. 27 and the rape of a telephone store employee on Route 1 here last Friday.
"There's obvious similarities," said Paul Bishop, Norwood police spokesman.
"It does show us a similar pattern as to the suspect in Norwood and the others," said Boston police spokesman Scott Gillis.
Bishop and spokesmen from the other departments said descriptions by several victims are similar.
A composite of descriptions indicates that the attacker is a white man, between 5 feet 7 and 6 feet tall, heavy set (weighing 200 pounds or more), in his mid-30s, with either reddish brown or black hair.
The attacker always acted alone and almost always carried a revolver. He struck stores in heavily traveled areas.
In several cases he ordered store employees into a back room or tied them up. In at least three cases, the suspect referred to a friend or accomplice outside who would hurt the victims further if they left the store too soon after the crime.
"He fits the bill," said Bishop.
In four of the crimes women were sexually assaulted or raped.
According to investigators, the first known attack was at a small downtown Boston store around 4 p.m. Dec. 16. Gillis said a robber -- armed with a gun -- sexually assaulted a female employee of the store.
In another attack, on Christmas Eve at 4 p.m., a woman in her 20s was sexually assaulted at a store in The Burlington Coat Mall on Granite Street in Braintree by a gun-wielding robber who said a friend was waiting for him outside, according to Braintree Detective Sgt. Paul Frazier.
On Dec. 27 at 10:15 a.m., a man carrying a revolver raped two women employees of the Hit or Miss Store on Route 9 in Framingham before escaping with money from the cash register and the safe, Framingham Police Sgt. Steven Worio said. The detective said the man locked one of the women in a closet while he raped the other. Then he raped the second woman while the first was locked in the closet.
Last Friday, Norwood police said a female employee at the Cellular One store on Route 1 in the Galleria on the Green was raped around 1 p.m. by a robber, who had ordered her at gunpoint into a back room.
In two crimes, stores were robbed but no one was sexually assaulted, police said, but in one -- the robbery of the Wearguard Store in the Dedham Plaza -- a composite of the suspect was "similar" to drawings of suspects in the Framingham and Boston cases. The other was the Jan. 4 armed robbery of the Cribs and Cradle Store on Route 1 south in Saugus.

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AREA POLICE SAY THEY SUSPECT 1 MAN IN 5 ATTACKS ON WOMEN
Author(s): Tom Coakley, Globe Staff Date: January 18, 1990 Page: 29 Section: METRO
NORWOOD -- A meeting yesterday of investigators from Boston and five surrounding communities has strengthened police suspicions that one man may have sexually attacked five women while robbing small stores in Greater Boston over the past month.
"We certainly cannot overlook the similarities," Norwood Police Chief George J. DiBlasi said at a press conference. "We are very carefully looking at the prospect" that one person committed the crimes. According to DiBlasi and others at the press conference, police see similarities in the physical appearance of the suspect and his method in the robberies that occurred between Dec. 16 and Jan. 12 in Boston, Braintree, Framingham, Dedham, Saugus and Norwood.
Three women were raped in the attacks: two in the Dec. 27 robbery of a Route 9 clothing store in Framingham and another during the robbery last Friday of a telephone store on Route 1 in Norwood.
Two women were sexually assaulted: one in a Dec. 16 robbery at a Boston store near Quincy Market and another during the Dec. 24 robbery of a store on Granite Street in Braintree.
Clerks were not sexually assaulted in similar small store robberies on Dec. 30 at the Dedham Plaza on Route 1 and on Jan. 4 on Route 1 south in Saugus.
In all of the robberies the suspect has been described as a heavy-set white male with a beer belly and either reddish brown or black hair. He is between 5 feet 7 inches and 6 feet tall and is in his mid-30s, according to descriptions.
In five of the crimes he carried a revolver and in the sixth he said he had one under his coat. In several cases, he referred to a friend outside the store who would harm victims if they left the scene of the crime too soon.
Investigators said in some cases the suspect was articulate and seemed to possess a knowledge of the retail trade and to have cased the stores prior to striking.
Police from Braintree and Framingham, who participated in the press conference, said yesterday that detectives from their towns and Boston met several weeks ago to discuss similarities in the robberies there. Composite drawings were printed in local newspapers after the meeting, they said.
But the scope of the string of robberies and rapes was not realized until after Friday's attack here.
DiBlasi said police went to reporters yesterday in an effort to gather as much information as possible about the unsolved crimes and to warn store owners of the possibility of attacks.
"We believe that the media attention will help us catch this guy," DiBlasi said. He urged anyone who thinks he might have information about the crimes to call the Boston Police Sex Assaults Hot Line -- 247-4400.
"We want to warn store owners. We don't want anyone hurt. We want them to know there is a problem out there," he said.
DiBlasi said Boston police are preparing a psychological profile of a probable suspect.
The chief said that police are not ruling out the possibility that the crimes were committed by more than one person but that the similarities were striking.
Drawings of suspects from the robberies in Norwood, Saugus and Framingham were pinned to a board behind investigators during the press conference. The drawings were dissimilar in some details. One had a mustache, others didn't, for example. Two had glasses, a third did not.
But DiBlasi and the other investigators said basic characteristics were consistent.
"Things that cannot change -- height, weight -- have not changed," said DiBlasi. "You can change your personal appearance -- mustaches and a pair of glasses.”

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POLICE SEE SIMILARITIES IN RAPES, ROBBERIES
Author(s): Don Aucoin, Globe Staff Date: February 2, 1990 Page: 50 Section: METRO
A man who robbed a Braintree pharmacy over the weekend may be the assailant sought in sexual attacks on five women in Greater Boston, police said yesterday.
"There's a good possibility" the armed robbery Saturday at the CVS Pharmacy in South Shore Plaza was carried out by the rapist who has eluded half a dozen police departments over the past month, said Braintree Police Detective James McDonald. The robber matched the description of the assailant given by victims of robberies and rapes in stores in Boston, Braintree, Framingham, Dedham, Saugus and Norwood, according to McDonald. His method was similar to that used in the string of robberies, McDonald said.
According to police, the man robbed the female manager at the CVS store on Friday.
The robber was described as a white male between 35 and 45 years old, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a large pot belly and short-cropped hair. He was wearing a brown "canvas-type" jacket, dungarees and workboots, McDonald said.
Investigators have "a lot of leads," including a description of the car used to flee a previous robbery, but no suspects, McDonald said. Detectives from all six communities met Wednesday to discuss the store rapes and robberies and to pool information, according to Framingham Police Capt. Thomas Cobb.
Three female employees of stores have been raped in the attacks -- two in the daytime robbery on Dec. 27 of a clothing store on Route 9 in Framingham, and another during the Jan. 12 robbery of a telephone store on Route 1 in Norwood. A female employee of a small downtown Boston store was sexually assaulted by a robber on Dec. 16, and another woman was sexually assaulted on Christmas Eve in a Braintree store.
Clerks were not sexually assaulted in other robberies in small stores in the Dedham Plaza and Route 1 in Saugus. In each instance the attacker has acted alone, usually carrying a revolver.

[mattc]

Wow. I had no idea that the statute of limitations was so short for something as horrific as rape. What is the logic behind that? I can understand a statute limiting a rape victim from [I]accusing[I] a person beyond a specific time.. for example, a victim coming forward 5 years after the fact, and saying it was rape (that would most certainly lead to a "he said she said" situation).

But in this case, and countless others, the accusations were made right after the alledged rapes, and I think it's unfair for the victims to not have justice simply because the cops/LE can't find the rapist.

Anyone know if the laws have changed. I find this to be quite a disgrace.

[Mastermind]

Wow. I had no idea that the statute of limitations was so short for something as horrific as rape. What is the logic behind that? I can understand a statute limiting a rape victim from [i]accusing[i] a person beyond a specific time.. for example, a victim coming forward 5 years after the fact, and saying it was rape (that would most certainly lead to a "he said she said" situation).

But in this case, and countless others, the accusations were made right after the alledged rapes, and I think it's unfair for the victims to not have justice simply because the cops/LE can't find the rapist.

Anyone know if the laws have changed. I find this to be quite a disgrace.

I'm I correct in saying that if he committed a rape past state lines (like say he raped someone in Connecticut and Mass), that case could be federally tried, even now?

This is a two edged sword, there are some good reasons for keeping statute of limitations on rape. I wouldn;t want an ex-girlfriend to falsely accusing me of raping her six years ago just to get back at me for revenge or something.

On suggestion I might have is that there could be a deliniation between a one time rape and serial rape. Open statute of limitations on someone who is being accused of multiple rapes. Any views from the lawyers on the forum?

[Kane]

Wow. I had no idea that the statute of limitations was so short for something as horrific as rape. What is the logic behind that? I can understand a statute limiting a rape victim from [I]accusing[I] a person beyond a specific time.. for example, a victim coming forward 5 years after the fact, and saying it was rape (that would most certainly lead to a "he said she said" situation).

But in this case, and countless others, the accusations were made right after the alledged rapes, and I think it's unfair for the victims to not have justice simply because the cops/LE can't find the rapist.

Definitely unfair. When it is proven to be a serial rapist behind those crimes, there is no reason why there should be a statute of limitations in that situation. The risk of that person re-offending is too high for him to be protected by any statute of limitations.

I don't like seeing even one person get away with rape. One has to wonder if the lawmakers and politicians who favor the statute of limitations on something as serious as rape would still be in favor of it if such a crime happened to them or someone they love.

Anyone know if the laws have changed. I find this to be quite a disgrace.

If anything, the state of Massachusetts changed at least one rape law in 2006. This new law extends the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution on statutory rape from 15 to 27 years.

[Mastermind]

I think in some cases statute of limitations were set low due to archaic standards.

That rape wasn;t that big a crime or it wasn' reported that much back in the old days. :mad:

Now I do see an argument from the other side. Physical assault of a man by another man in a fist-fight has low statute of limitations. Should we have higher ones just because a woman is assaulted. Not saying I agree with this, but just playing Devil's Advocate.

[Mastermind]

Wait a second....

He did pull a gun on them in a store and held them hostage.

Couldn;t those actions be turned into an arrestable offense?:confused:

[Kane]

Wait a second....

He did pull a gun on them in a store and held them hostage.

Couldn;t those actions be turned into an arrestable offense?:confused:

They ought to be, especially since the victims were being held against their will.

[mattc]

I think in some cases statute of limitations were set low due to archaic standards.

That rape wasn;t that big a crime or it wasn' reported that much back in the old days. :mad:

Now I do see an argument from the other side. Physical assault of a man by another man in a fist-fight has low statute of limitations. Should we have higher ones just because a woman is assaulted. Not saying I agree with this, but just playing Devil's Advocate.

I agree that some of these laws are probably based on archaic ideas (along the lines of sodomy or oral sex being illegal).

As to the other point, I know you were just playing devil's advocate, and my response would be that rape is very different than simple assault. Obviously it would be unfair if assault laws differed based on one's gender, but they don't. Rape, on the other hand, is more severe than assault, as it it violent and sexual in nature. If a man raped another man, the charge would be the same as if a man raped a woman, etc.

I think every state needs to examine their laws, and determine which ones need some rethinking!

[kadrmas15]

Hmm, I disagree, I think the Statute of limitations is just fine the way it is. In fact Mass actually had a longer statute of limitations on rape than most other states did and do. The problem I have with messing around with the statute of limitations is this. You see people and this has happened where YEARS and when I say years I mean sometimes decades later they will come out of the woodwork and claimed someone raped them. WHile maybe it did happen it is also possible it did not happen or that the victim had mistaken identity. Look at all the innocent men released from prison because they did not rape the person they were accused of raping? So I mean that cuts both ways. The Statute of Limitations was created for a reason and that is why.

So that people cannot come forward years later, say they are ticked off at someone and decide to claim the person raped them. If it is years later, no DNA sample, purely circumstantial case, it is a he said/she said situation so there is usually no way to prove or disprove something happened. There are some states that do not have a Statute of limitations on rape, I know Virginia does not actually have a statute of limitations on ANY felony.

In terms of the feds, I am not sure what their statute of limitations is if any? I know they used to have statute of limitations on everything. In fact that came to light because a man who was convicted of kidnapping in federal court a couple years ago that was from a case involving the KKK in Mississippi in the mid 1960's and sentenced to life in prison. Well, he appealed the verdict and also said he was charged illegally as the statute of limitations had long ago expired on that charge. In fact the appellate court, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with him but the government appealed to the Supreme Court and they overturned the lower court. Which was shocking and illegal.

To be honest, I think people have a tendency to think that because a defendant is despicable or unsympathetic that it makes it okay to sidestep the law and twist it around. It does not. We are a country of laws but if the cops and state fail to meet their burden than whose fault really is that? This guy is a serial rapist and I have a hard time believing he just stopped. Check his DNA sample against the nationwide databank, you might very well find a match.

As for statutory rape laws, do not get me started. The problem I have with these laws is that they are outdated. As much as we do not want underaged people to have sex, the problem is, most of them do and the problem too is that a lot of them have sex with people that are above the age of consent. A lot of these relationships are not with some sleazy old fart but rather with a person that is in their late teens or very early 20's. Like I saw in Georgia, a guy who was 18 was having consensual sex with his 16 year old girlfriend. Anyway, the girls parents did not like him so they had him arrested and charged with statutory rape. He was actually offered a plea deal where he would have only got probation but he would be a convicted sex offender for life and be on probation for several years. He told them to take their offer and stuff it. He said he was not a sex offender. Well, he took it to trial, where he was convicted of statutory rape and sentenced to the maximum sentence, 10 years in state prison.