The man accused of raping two female employees at a Framingham store in 1989 was being held Tuesday in California on $2 million bail, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Stephen Gale, 71, a 71-year-old once known as the “Boston Strip Mall Rapist,” was charged with one felony count of grand theft of personal property and two misdemeanor counts of check forgery before being held on $2 million bail in Van Nuys District Court, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told Boston 25.
Gale was arrested after a chase through the streets of Los Angeles earlier this month. Gale has been hospitalized since then.
Authorities announced in May that they had identified Gale as a suspect based on new DNA evidence, 35 years after he allegedly raped two store employees in Framingham.
Authorities searching for man accused of raping 2 employees at gunpoint in Framingham store
Gale entered the Hit or Miss store on Route 9 on the morning of Dec. 27, 1989, displayed a .357 magnum and forced two female employees back at gunpoint, authorities said at a news conference. He then allegedly ordered one victim to get money from a locked safe and the second to lock the store doors, before sexually assaulting them while holding the gun to their heads.
The evidence collected at the scene eventually helped investigators obtain Gale’s DNA.
A DNA profile of the suspect was developed and uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System in 2001, but no hits were ever produced that identified the suspect. In 2022, Middlesex prosecutors and Framingham police contracted with Parabon Nanolabs to conduct a genetic genealogy study to develop new leads that could help identify the suspect.
According to Ryan and Baker, investigators believe Stephen Paul Gale has been identified and have issued an arrest warrant after reviewing results from Parabon Nanolabs and taking additional DNA samples from his family members.
Boston 25 reporter Bob Ward spoke with the two victims in Framingham, who asked not to be named, about the relief these new details bring to the case.
“None of this has ever left our lives. This has always been a part of us. And it’s time for this man to be brought to justice and taken off the streets,” said Victim 2.
Gale was wanted on charges including four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery. He has not yet been arraigned on those charges.
Gale will be formally charged in October and extradited to Massachusetts at a later date.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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