A man who was arrested last week in New Jersey in a series of sexual assaults and kidnappings in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood that date back to 2007 will appear in a Massachusetts courtroom on Monday.
Matthew Nilo is facing multiple charges including three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault and battery. The 35-year-old is expected to plead not guilty, according to his attorney.
“It is important from a public safely perspective because to the extent that we have cases that are uncharged we have people that have never been held accountable for what’s happened. And it is incredibly important for people who have been victimized, for families who have had someone go missing, people who just don’t have answers, that they know that we are doing everything possible to get to those answers,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said. Further details about the four cases should be revealed in court Monday.
Officials have credited advancements in DNA and forensic genealogy as they reason they were able to identify Nilo more than 15 years after he allegedly terrorized four victims in the Terminal Street area. His DNA has been tied to cases from Aug. 18, 2007, Nov. 22, 2007, Aug. 5, 2008, and Dec. 23, 2008, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said.
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The FBI has confirmed Nilo was a student, living in Boston's North End at the time of the attacks. Police have not laid out the specifics of the cases, but more details are expected to be revealed in court Monday.
Nilo was arrested last Tuesday at his home in Weehawken, New Jersey, where he was working as an attorney, investigators said. The company where he worked told NBC10 Boston in a statement that his employment has been suspended pending further investigation.
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The investigation into Nilo is ongoing, and investigators noted he has lived in other areas including Wisconsin, California and New York. Anyone who thinks they could have been a victim, or who has information on any of the cases, is asked to contact Boston Police or the FBI.
