The Massachusetts District Attorney’s initiative to close the gap with more than 1,100 untested rape kits from his jurisdiction led to charges of sexual assault in 2010. authorities said Friday.
This is the first time anyone has been charged after Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn launched the untested rape kit with a federal grant nearly three years ago.
The 47-year-old suspect, Scott Trudeau, is charged with aggravated rape and assault and beating in connection with the 2010 attack on a 23-year-old woman in New Bedford in 2010, Quinn’s office said in a statement.
Trudeau is currently on federal probation after serving a federal sentence for attempting to travel to engage in illegal sexual behavior with a minor, the statement said.
At the time, the victim was being recruited to gather evidence of sexual assault, but it was never fully tested. Finally, in February, it was tested and led to the discovery of DNA that matched the suspect, authorities said.
The district attorney’s office is currently testing more than 1,100 kits in a private lab with a federal grant.
“This case demonstrates the importance of a full inspection of all sexual assault kits. If we hadn’t received a grant to fully test all these kits, this case would never have been opened and the statute of limitations would have expired, ”Quinn said. statement.
According to the indictment, “the victim in this case was shocked that the rape kit had not been tested” and “relief that the suspect has now been identified and will be prosecuted,” the district prosecutor said in a statement.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scot-trudeau-indicted-2010-rape-new-bedford-untested-rape-kit-initiative/
