A 71-year-old man, Stephen Gale, accused of a series of heinous crimes dating back to the late 1980s, has been held on a $2 million bail in Los Angeles, as reported by Boston 25. Charged with grand theft of personal property and check forgery, Gale earned notoriety for alleged sexual assaults with the moniker "Boston Strip Mall Rapist." He was detained following a car chase which concluded with his arrest in Los Angeles earlier this month.
After being admitted to the hospital since the chase, details emerged from Boston 25, stating that Gale faces charges including four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery, relating to the 1989 assault on two females at a Framingham store. Allegedly, at gunpoint, he sexually assaulted them after forcing one to empty the store's safe and the other to secure the premises.
Revisiting the cold case with modern technology, investigators used investigative genetic genealogy provided by Parabon Nanolabs to pinpoint Gale as their suspect. As confirmed by WHDH, forensic evidence has linked him to several additional rape cases between 1989 and 1990. The method of using new DNA evidence was essential in this revitalization.
In an attempt to elude law enforcement, Gale mutilated his fingertips, complicating identification efforts, revealed a source to 5 Investigates. Despite this, police captured him outside a Los Angeles hospital, with a local photographer capturing the fingerprinting attempt. "It's interesting that I have not heard of anybody, any crime or any, any problems he's had in almost 40 years," Sammy Weiss, Gale's attorney, said outside court in Los Angeles, as reported by WCVB.
The legal proceedings in Los Angeles have faced delays due to Gale's medical issues, including a recent surgery for a stent placement. Nonetheless, survivors of the 1989 rape have awaited decades for justice and Gale's extradition to face charges in Massachusetts. Gale's next Los Angeles court date is scheduled for October 9, 2024, as stated by WCVB, although it's uncertain how his Los Angeles check forging case may affect the awaited extradition process.
