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DNA from armed rape helps police

Having obtained the DNA profile of the armed rapist and robber in the Aug. 26 assault of two University students, Charlottesville Police said they hope to uncover any community knowledge about the incident by releasing suspect details and possibly increasing reward money.

The incident occurred in the Venable area between 15th Street NW and Rugby Road off of Grady Avenue shortly after 4 a.m. The perpetrator entered the female victim's home and raped her while holding a male friend at gunpoint.

According to Charlottesville Police Lt. J. E. "Chip" Harding, forensic labs in Richmond retrieved DNA evidence from the victim's bedsheets and remnants of the perpetrator's saliva left on a beer can he drank from in the apartment after the rape.

The DNA samples "matched and we're quite confident that they're the DNA of the intruder," Harding said.

According to police, the suspect is a black male in his mid-20s, heavy set, and between 5-foot-8 and 6-feet tall.

New details provided by police also describe the man's clothing during the attack as a dark T-shirt with a light colored "X", no more than three to four inches in width, centered on the front.

The assailant's method of entry is still unknown, but Harding said when police arrived at the scene, windows were left unlocked and a set of French doors were popped open with the deadbolt still engaged.

The assailant blindfolded the female and ordered the male, a friend who was spending the night after a party, not to look at him.

After the rape, the assailant forced the female to take a shower and stole money from both victims' wallets.

Later, he directed the victims into the kitchen where he tried to comfort the female as he drank the beer.

Harding said the perpetrator referred to the rape victim as "baby" repeatedly as he tried to comfort her.

He also said the man referred to the male victim as "stick-boy."

He added that the assailant stayed in the apartment for about an hour.

"It's really important when students think back to people they've seen or know that they don't just think about town people, but about University students as well," Harding said.

Richard Hudson, Charlottesville police detective and executive director of Crime Stoppers, said he is working with potential reward donors and expects the current $10,000 reward to increase by next week.

"There is a group of people who want to make more contributions to the reward fund," Hudson said. "We're trying to facilitate the donation process so that they're organized under Crime Stoppers."

While Hudson declined to comment on leads in the interest of confidentiality, he said calls to police and Crime Stoppers have been useful.

"Nobody has called and said 'Johnny Doe' has done it," he added. "But, the info has been helpful - if nothing else it allows you to narrow your focus and eliminate possible suspects."

Harding said now that police have DNA samples the reward could be useful in generating suspects that lead to an arrest.

He said that 27 original possible suspects have been eliminated as a result of DNA comparisons between the Venable sample and those retrieved from convicted felons and those who voluntarily committed blood samples.

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