The East Coast Rapist is a criminal who has committed a number of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

s in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

since 1997. Police had DNA evidence from the first attacks, but had not matched the DNA in any criminal database. On March 4, 2011, police in Connecticut arrested 39-year-old trucker and

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

resident Aaron H. Thomas after claiming to have matched his DNA to that of the rapist from a cigarette butt he discarded. Thomas underwent police questioning. On March 5, 2011, jailers reported that Thomas attempted to hang himself while in a jail cell. The rapist's ''

modus operandi A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...

'' was to trail the women he selected as victims to learn about their personal lives and then attack them under cover of night. He usually approached the victim in an open area, talked to her briefly, and then forced her into a more secluded area to rape her. He used handguns, knives, a screwdriver, and a broken bottle as weapons during the attacks. On four occasions, he attacked more than one victim in the same incident. On March 1, 2013, Thomas was sentenced to three life terms in prison plus an additional 80 years for his Halloween 2009 attack on three teenaged trick-or-treaters in

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

, having pleaded guilty to said attack in November 2012. Later in March 2013, Thomas was sentenced to two additional life terms for a May 2001 rape and abduction at a Leesburg apartment complex, having pleaded guilty to said attack in November 2012. Later in March 2013, Thomas was indicted on six counts of first-degree rape and multiple related charges in

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

, and, as of March 26, 2013, faced a total of 54 charges in said county. In June 2015, Thomas pleaded guilty to three rapes that took place in Prince George's County, Maryland, between 1997 and 2001 and received three more life terms that are to be served concurrently with time being served in Virginia. Prosecutors also dropped charges against Thomas in three cases because of a lack of evidence.

Crimes

References

External links

East Coast Rapist Police Site
American rapists {{US-crime-bio-stub