Officials said that an attorney charged with a series sexual assaults committed in Boston over a decade earlier waived extradition to New Jersey and would be returning to Massachusetts.
Boston police announced that Matthew Nilo (35), is facing charges of rape and kidnapping, as well as assault, stemming from incidents that occurred between 2007 and 2008.
Joseph Bonavolonta is the FBI special agent who oversees the Boston field office. He said that Nilo had been accused of being a “serial rapist and a kidnapper.”
The FBI and Boston Police arrested Nilo. He was formerly from Boston’s North End. He was arrested outside his Weehawken residence on Tuesday, according to Bonavolonta.
He said that four victims had been waiting for years to find out who their attacker was.
Joseph Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston field office, speaks about the charges against Matthew Nilo on Tuesday.
NBC Boston
Bonavolonta, who spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, said: “We realize that identifying the individual will not alleviate their pain – nothing can.” “But hopefully, it answers some questions.”
He said that investigators used both traditional genealogy and investigative genetic genealogy to identify Nilo. He said that Boston police asked for help in October and Nilo was identified last month.
Jeff Garrigan told reporters on Thursday that Nilo would plead not guilt.
Garrigan stated that Garrigan was eager to fight these charges and prove his innocence.
Boston Police said that sexual assaults took place in the Charlestown area in the Terminal Street neighborhood between August 2007 and November 2008 and in August and December 2008.
According to the police, he is accused of three counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts kidnapping and assault with intent of rape. He also faces one count each of indecent assault, battery and assault.
Bonavolonta stated that Nilo, an attorney from Boston, lived in Wisconsin, California, and New York after 2008.
Cowbell, which advertises cyber-insurance, had employed Nilo, but a spokesperson confirmed that he has been suspended.
Justin Finnegan, the company’s spokesman, said that Nilo was suspended pending further investigations. The company hired him in January, after he had passed a background investigation. The company didn’t specify what role he played.
The authorities are asking anyone with information or who believes they have been a victim to contact Boston Police or the FBI.
Kevin Hayden, Suffolk County Massachusetts District attorney, said that sexual assault cases can be very difficult and challenging to solve.
Hayden stated that “these are events which have a lasting and sometimes life-changing impact on our victims.”
Bonavolonta says that the technique used to identify Nilo can be used to generate leads. However, “it is not the end all,” he said.
He said that “there are a lot of steps to take even after we have identified the suspect, in this instance, to confirm everything.”
The same method was used to identify “The Lady of the Dunes,” the victim in Massachusetts’ oldest unsolved murder, as Ruth Marie Terry. Her body was discovered in 1974 at a Provincetown Beach and unidentified for many years. Her killer has yet to be identified.
The Associated Press also contributed.
