Current:Home > MyMan accused in assaults on trail now charged in 2003 rape, murder of Philadelphia medical student-LoTradeCoin
Man accused in assaults on trail now charged in 2003 rape, murder of Philadelphia medical student
View Date:2024-12-23 15:25:51
PHILADELPHA (AP) — A man accused of slashing people with a large knife while riding a bicycle on a trail in Philadelphia in recent weeks has been formally charged in the cold-case rape and slaying of a medical student that occurred among a series of high-profile sexual assaults in a large city park two decades ago.
Elias Diaz, 46, was arraigned Wednesday on murder, rape and other counts in the 2003 slaying of Rebecca Park. He was ordered held without bail pending a Jan. 8 preliminary hearing. He had been held on aggravated assault and other counts in the attacks or attempted attacks in late November and early December, where police say he used a machete-type knife against people on the Pennypack Park trail in northeast Philadelphia.
The Defender Association of Philadelphia, listed as representing him in both the 2003 case and the recent attacks, declined comment earlier on all charges.
Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford Jr. said Diaz’s DNA appeared to connect him to the 2003 strangulation killing of Park in the city’s sprawling Fairmount Park and perhaps to several other sexual attacks there. Park, 30, a fourth-year student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine from Olney, Maryland, vanished after going running in the park in July 2003. Her body was found buried under wood and leaves in a steep hillside in the park, about 200 feet (60 meters) off the road, authorities said.
Police said that crime was linked to the April 2003 rape of a 21-year-old jogger in the park, and in October of that year a 37-year-old woman managed to fight off a man who tried to rape her. In 2007, a 29-year-old woman walking on a path in Pennypack Park was sexually assaulted and robbed, police said. No charges have yet been filed in those cases.
In 2021, a DNA analysis helped create a series of composite sketches of the man believed responsible for the assaults. Genealogy databases yielded a link to a man named Elias Diaz, but he couldn’t be found. Officials said the suspect just arrested had previous contact with police, but authorities didn’t have his DNA until his arrest in the recent assaults.
Stanford said the two-decade-old Fairmount Park assault cases and Park’s slaying had “haunted” the community and the department.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
- Delivery drivers are forced to confront the heatwave head on
- Score This Sweat-Wicking Sports Bra With 25,700+ 5-Star Reviews For $17 on Amazon Prime Day 2023
- These 25 Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deals Are Big Sellout Risks: Laneige, Yeti, Color Wow, Kindle, and More
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- Could the U.S. still see a recession? A handy primer about the confusing economy
- Raises Your Glasses High to Vanderpump Rules' First Ever Emmy Nominations
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deals That Make Great Holiday Gifts: Apple, Beats, Kindle, Drybar & More
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Flash Deal: 52% Off a Revlon Heated Brush That Dries and Styles at the Time Same
Ranking
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- Why can't Canada just put the fires out? Here are 5 answers to key questions
- This Shiatsu Foot Massager Has 12,800+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews and It’s 46% Off for Amazon Prime Day 2023
- Texas Project Will Use Wind to Make Fuel Out of Water
- Former North Carolina labor commissioner becomes hospital group’s CEO
- As Flooding Increases, Chicago Looks To Make Basement Housing Safer
- Behavioral Scientists’ Appeal To Climate Researchers: Study The Bias
- “Strong and Well” Jamie Foxx Helps Return Fan’s Lost Purse During Outing in Chicago
Recommendation
-
Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
-
Maryland, Virginia Race to Save Dwindling Commercial Fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay
-
Car Companies Are Now Bundling EVs With Home Solar Panels. Are Customers Going to Buy?
-
If You Bend the Knee, We'll Show You House of the Dragon's Cast In and Out of Costume
-
Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
-
Amazon Prime Day 2023: Get a Portable Garment Steamer With 65,000+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews for Just $28
-
Amazon Prime Day Rare Deal: Get a Massage Therapy Gun With 14,000+ 5-Star Reviews for Just $32
-
The Capitol Christmas Tree Provides a Timely Reminder on Environmental Stewardship This Holiday Season