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CNN Live Saturday
Suspected Serial Rapist Arrested In Miami Today
Aired September 20, 2003 - 14:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue now with what may be a key break in the serial rapes that have frightened the Miami area for just a little more than a year. Police now say they do have a suspect in custody. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Juan Rodriguez didn't know it at the time, but he almost single-handedly caught the elusive Miami serial rapist on the loose for nearly a year.
JUAN RODRIGUEZ, FOILED ATTACK: I feel bad. I wish I could have done more.
CANDIOTTI: Rodriguez had a headlock on a man who attacked his sister-in-law outside her home, but the suspect got away.
RODRIGUEZ: I didn't think it was the serial rapist. It was just some guy who wanted to hurt my sister-in-law.
CANDIOTTI: The attacker bit Rodriguez on the arm. DNA from that wound matched the serial rapist.
(on camera): In one year, he has chosen to strike in this largely Hispanic, mixed-income neighborhood. And this is what has stumped investigators. He's targeted victims as young as 11, and as old as 77.
(voice-over): The attacks have parents in particular on edge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I try to be very close to them.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you think it's too scary to tell kids about what's happening?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all, because it's for their own safety.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): So far, the rapist has managed, as police put it, to hide in plain sight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here you go. Thank you.
CANDIOTTI: Police have tried sweeping the Shenandoah and Little Havana areas with composite sketches, even going door to door. Billboards feature the rapist's sketch and advertise a reward just increased to $20,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're more apt to see him than most people.
CANDIOTTI: The police chief has biked through the targeted neighborhood to generate more awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need him to do six swabs up and down six times on each side of his jaw.
CANDIOTTI: More than 200 DNA swabs have been taken voluntarily from people police claim resemble the rapist's sketch.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE DEPT.: Somebody out there, friend, family, relative, neighbor, co-worker, knows or suspects they know who this individual is.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: We want to go now to former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey who often helps us out with different legal situations like this. And this news just coming to us today, so we want to bring him in.
Kendall, thanks for being here. Talk to us a little bit about the legality to this now. What are the steps that the suspect will go through from here on?
KENDALL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, he's obviously going to be kept in carseration. There could be a bond hearing. But this guy who evaded authorities for at least a year is not going to be allowed out on the streets. He'll be facing a trial sooner than later.
And, Heidi, if they do have a DNA match, we all know what that means. Very, very strong evidence and a very high probability of conviction.
COLLINS: In fact, we already know that DNA has linked this man to at least one of the attempted rapes from a bite on the arm of someone who was trying to help the would-be victim. What about DNA in this? This is a key to this case, is it not?
COFFEY: It's the key to the case and it's a key to so many sexual assault cases, because, inherently, they're going to leave DNA evidence. And one of the things that is getting more and more national attention is, how far do you go in creating DNA banks of various felons?
In some jurisdictions around the world, in England, they're creating DNA banks of suspects. Why? Because after a single sexual assault occurs and you get the DNA evidence, if you can make a match you may be able to apprehend the perpetrator before other victims suffer the same miserable, horrible fate. COLLINS: And Kendall, quickly, what about the lineup? We know that this suspect was also identified in a lineup. Will that change things at all as far as the procedure here?
COFFEY: Very, very solid important eyewitness identification. But you know, Heidi, nowadays, most authorities believe that DNA evidence itself is more reliable even than eyewitness accounts.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. U.S. former attorney Kendall Coffey, thanks for helping us out with this one once again today. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 20, 2003 - 14:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue now with what may be a key break in the serial rapes that have frightened the Miami area for just a little more than a year. Police now say they do have a suspect in custody. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Juan Rodriguez didn't know it at the time, but he almost single-handedly caught the elusive Miami serial rapist on the loose for nearly a year.
JUAN RODRIGUEZ, FOILED ATTACK: I feel bad. I wish I could have done more.
CANDIOTTI: Rodriguez had a headlock on a man who attacked his sister-in-law outside her home, but the suspect got away.
RODRIGUEZ: I didn't think it was the serial rapist. It was just some guy who wanted to hurt my sister-in-law.
CANDIOTTI: The attacker bit Rodriguez on the arm. DNA from that wound matched the serial rapist.
(on camera): In one year, he has chosen to strike in this largely Hispanic, mixed-income neighborhood. And this is what has stumped investigators. He's targeted victims as young as 11, and as old as 77.
(voice-over): The attacks have parents in particular on edge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I try to be very close to them.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you think it's too scary to tell kids about what's happening?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all, because it's for their own safety.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): So far, the rapist has managed, as police put it, to hide in plain sight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here you go. Thank you.
CANDIOTTI: Police have tried sweeping the Shenandoah and Little Havana areas with composite sketches, even going door to door. Billboards feature the rapist's sketch and advertise a reward just increased to $20,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're more apt to see him than most people.
CANDIOTTI: The police chief has biked through the targeted neighborhood to generate more awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need him to do six swabs up and down six times on each side of his jaw.
CANDIOTTI: More than 200 DNA swabs have been taken voluntarily from people police claim resemble the rapist's sketch.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE DEPT.: Somebody out there, friend, family, relative, neighbor, co-worker, knows or suspects they know who this individual is.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: We want to go now to former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey who often helps us out with different legal situations like this. And this news just coming to us today, so we want to bring him in.
Kendall, thanks for being here. Talk to us a little bit about the legality to this now. What are the steps that the suspect will go through from here on?
KENDALL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, he's obviously going to be kept in carseration. There could be a bond hearing. But this guy who evaded authorities for at least a year is not going to be allowed out on the streets. He'll be facing a trial sooner than later.
And, Heidi, if they do have a DNA match, we all know what that means. Very, very strong evidence and a very high probability of conviction.
COLLINS: In fact, we already know that DNA has linked this man to at least one of the attempted rapes from a bite on the arm of someone who was trying to help the would-be victim. What about DNA in this? This is a key to this case, is it not?
COFFEY: It's the key to the case and it's a key to so many sexual assault cases, because, inherently, they're going to leave DNA evidence. And one of the things that is getting more and more national attention is, how far do you go in creating DNA banks of various felons?
In some jurisdictions around the world, in England, they're creating DNA banks of suspects. Why? Because after a single sexual assault occurs and you get the DNA evidence, if you can make a match you may be able to apprehend the perpetrator before other victims suffer the same miserable, horrible fate. COLLINS: And Kendall, quickly, what about the lineup? We know that this suspect was also identified in a lineup. Will that change things at all as far as the procedure here?
COFFEY: Very, very solid important eyewitness identification. But you know, Heidi, nowadays, most authorities believe that DNA evidence itself is more reliable even than eyewitness accounts.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. U.S. former attorney Kendall Coffey, thanks for helping us out with this one once again today. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
