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East Coast Rape Suspect to Cops: What Took So Long?

Investigation may have found 12-time serial rapist

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 7, 2011 6:08 PM CST

(Newser) – When cops arrested Aaron Thomas and charged him with being the infamous East Coast Rapist, the 39-year-old unemployed truck driver apparently had one question: "What took you so long to get me?" A prosecutor says Thomas has admitted his “involvement in numerous, alleged rapes,” while in custody. He was in court today in Connecticut, reports the New Haven Register, where he faced charges in the rapes of two trick-or-treating teenagers in Virginia, a Connecticut woman assaulted in front of her sleeping infant, and others. Authorities say they've linked Thomas by DNA to at least 12 attacks involving 17 women.

Boasting, at an earlier date, may have done him in: though the task force worked through 700 possible suspects, one caller to an anonymous tip line mentioned him as having "taken credit" for the first attack of the East Coast Rapist—a brutal attack in a Maryland forest in 1997. Police began tracking Thomas, and collected a discarded cigarette butt, which gave them DNA evidence. Click for more on the East Coast Rapist.

Rape victims.
Rape victims.   (Google Maps)
Aaron Thomas, dubbed the East Coast Rapist by law enforcement, leaves New Haven Superior Court after his arraignment in New Haven, Conn., Monday, March 7, 2011.
Aaron Thomas, dubbed the East Coast Rapist by law enforcement, leaves New Haven Superior Court after his arraignment in New Haven, Conn., Monday, March 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
professortech
Mar 8, 2011 7:32 AM CST
The truly depressing aspect of a story like this is that some statistics report that up to 15% of rapists are serial rapists (having committed three or more rapes). This is just one individual who had enough of a similarity between his crimes in a relatively small geographic area that allowed the law enforcement agencies to see a connection AND he drops a clue in their laps to begin to find him. In 2007 there were 248,300 victims of "reported" sexual assault. While at the same time only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. http://www.rainn.org/statistics
elimpostor
Mar 8, 2011 3:10 AM CST
He should have turned himself in before he committed those crimes as he knew he had lost it in life, but he had to "meet some law requirements", e.g. wrongdoing, to face death. Godspeed on the Devil's thunder, lucky bastard, referring to his posh stay behind the bars and his lush ass lavalife.
MisterPlinkett
Mar 7, 2011 7:13 PM CST
so, not only is he some pussy that rapes helpless people, but he also employs the use of movie cliches. give this POS the chair.

 
DNA • New Haven • rape • sex offenders • serial rapists • rapist • East Coast Rapist • US Marshals Service • Aaron Thomas • Aaron Thomas East Coast Rapist

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