Alan Kurt Rillema, 51, was arrested in Michigan and arraigned on charges of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
DNA evidence from a coffee cup has helped link a man to two rapes that occurred over two decades ago in different US states
He also faces felony charges in Pennsylvania. The charges are the result of advances in investigative genetic genealogy that led authorities to a suspect in cold cases that were decades old.
The first rape Rillema is accused of occurred at a golf course in Michigan in 1999, while another rape was reported in 2000 at a golf course at Penn State University. Investigators at the time obtained DNA from both crime scenes but did not have a suspect. However, thanks to genetic genealogy, investigators were able to identify Rillema as the likely suspect. Investigators in both states solicited the help of DNA technology company Parabon NanoLabs, which can use genetic genealogy and other research methods to find suspects by searching for relatives in public databases and building family trees. The lab concluded that one of the three brothers was likely responsible for both rapes.
Michigan police were able to obtain a DNA sample from Rillema by following him and taking his DNA from a Styrofoam coffee cup
The DNA from the coffee cup was sent to the lab and matched the DNA of the perpetrator of the 1999 and 2000 rapes. Rillema was ordered to be held in a county jail in Michigan without bond until a probable cause conference on Thursday. If convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Michigan, he could face up to life in prison. In Pennsylvania, he faces charges of rape by forcible compulsion, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Rillema has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney, Deanna Kelley, said in a statement, “Regarding the allegations: There are two sides to every story and Mr. Rillema looks forward to telling his.” Authorities in Pennsylvania and Michigan are discussing the timing of the respective trials. The arrest was made possible by advances in technology, and investigators are encouraging anyone who was a victim of a similar crime at a golf course to call their local police department.
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