In a significant development for the Georgetown community and victims of sexual abuse, the U.S. Attorney's Office in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, announced the arrest of Ernesto Mercado, 54, for his alleged involvement in a series of cold case rapes. Mercado, from Arlington, Virginia, is accused of five sexual offenses that transpired between 2008 and 2012.
The Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative, a joint quest to address unresolved sexual assault cases, led to Mercado's charges which include three counts of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice. The defendant was arrested and will soon have to further contend his association with the crimes during a preliminary hearing on October 10.
Evidence from DNA testing played a central role in drawing the line connecting these disparate cases. The untiring efforts of the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative team, with support from multiple law enforcement partners, were praised by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. In a statement, Graves highlighted that "thanks to DNA evidence from the rape kits of courageous survivors" they were able to establish a link across the six rape incidents, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
