Police believe latest attack is related to 3 earlier sexual assaults
Rape Suspect
It was the fourth such attack that has occurred in apartment complexes in Uptown since late December.
In a statement released Tuesday, April 22, the Dallas Police Media Relations Unit said that the first three attacks — which occurred on Dec. 23 at 10:40 p.m., on Jan. 5 at 5:45 a.m. and on April 1 at 4:30 a.m. — have already been linked, and that investigators are waiting on forensic test results to determine for sure if the attack this week is also related.
In all four attacks, the suspect entered the apartments while the victims were inside, gaining access, police believe, through sliding glass doors or through windows. Each time, the victim woke up to find the suspect standing beside her bed, and each time he carried either a knife or a gun, according to police.
The victim in the latest attack told police she woke up and saw the man kneeling beside the bed with a knife. She said he spoke in a language she did not recognize, and he cut her chin with the knife before leaving the apartment.
The police statement released Tuesday said none of the victims suffered "serious bodily injuries" in the assault.
The suspect in all four rapes is described as a dark-skinned man around 30 years old. He is said to be about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds with a medium build. Police said he "speaks a Spanish dialect possibly not from this area."
Police warned residents to make sure all their doors and windows are securely locked, especially after dark. Investigators asked that anyone with information on any of the assault call the Sexual Assaults Unit at 214-671-3584.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 25, 2008.