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CNN Sunday Morning
Miami Serial Rapist
Aired September 14, 2003 - 08:18 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: To Miami now, where a serial rapist has been targeting a Hispanic neighborhood for a year. Our Susan Candiotti has more now about a manhunt which has children concerned, parents worried, and police going door to door.
(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 last week outside her home, but the suspect got away.
RODRIGUEZ: I didn't think about 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): That foiled attack, last weekend, makes eight assaults linked to the Miami serial rapist. 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. 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 $25,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're more apt to see than most people. CANDIOTTI: The police chief has biked through the targeted neighborhood to generate more awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need him 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. Police say none has matched. Last week's foiled attack by the suspected rapist was the closest police have come to catching him.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE DEPT.: Somebody out there, somebody out there, friend, family, relative, neighbor, co-worker, knows or suspects they know who this individual is.
CANDIOTTI: But until someone comes forward or police find him, the Miami serial rapist has one neighborhood on edge. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 14, 2003 - 08:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: To Miami now, where a serial rapist has been targeting a Hispanic neighborhood for a year. Our Susan Candiotti has more now about a manhunt which has children concerned, parents worried, and police going door to door.
(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 last week outside her home, but the suspect got away.
RODRIGUEZ: I didn't think about 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): That foiled attack, last weekend, makes eight assaults linked to the Miami serial rapist. 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. 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 $25,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're more apt to see than most people. CANDIOTTI: The police chief has biked through the targeted neighborhood to generate more awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need him 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. Police say none has matched. Last week's foiled attack by the suspected rapist was the closest police have come to catching him.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE DEPT.: Somebody out there, somebody out there, friend, family, relative, neighbor, co-worker, knows or suspects they know who this individual is.
CANDIOTTI: But until someone comes forward or police find him, the Miami serial rapist has one neighborhood on edge. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
