A New Jersey attorney accused of sexually assaulting four women in Boston nearly 15 years ago was ordered to pay $500,000 bail at a hearing Monday. Prosecutors said authorities linked him to the attack by extracting DNA from the glasses he used. Matthew Nyro of Weehawken, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts in a Boston court, including three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault. The charges stem from four attacks in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood between August 2007 and December 2008, during which time authorities say Niro lived in the city.
Nilo, 35, was arrested last week. At Monday’s hearing, prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum said in some cases the attackers claimed to have guns and threatened to kill the victims. In one instance, he allegedly showed the victim a knife. The first two victims, 23 years old at the time of the attack, were at a bar in downtown Boston. The woman agreed to be taken away by a man, believed to be an acquaintance, who offered to help her find her car. Instead, he drove her to Charlestown and raped her, Feigenbaum said.
A second woman was allegedly driven to Charlestown in what appeared to be a taxi or van driven by a male driver, where she was raped. A 36-year-old beggar was also raped by a man who would offer money if she got in his car, prosecutors said. The fourth victim, a 44-year-old woman, was attacked from behind during an early morning run. She fought back, poked her attacker in the eye with her gloved hand and fled, Feigenbaum said.
Investigators took DNA from all four victims, including the fourth victim’s glove. Police re-investigated the case last year and used forensic genetic genealogy, a combination of DNA analysis and publicly available genealogical studies and historical records, to narrow down potential suspects, officials said. Stated. This made me realize that Niro is an interesting person. At an internal event earlier this year, the FBI seized tools and glasses used by the suspect, officials said. Prosecutors said they took DNA from his jar, which matched that of three rape victims and likely matched the glove’s DNA.
If Niro is released on bail, he will have to put on a GPS tracking device, surrender his passport and approach the area where the attack took place. He has to appear in court again next Monday. Niro worked for a New York-based cybersecurity firm. He passed a background check and was hired in January, but was suspended pending further investigation following his arrest, the company said in a statement.
News on SNBC13.com
