Orange County Cold Case Rape Suspect Arrested With Help Of DNA
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – With the help of DNA evidence, authorities arrested a 53-year-old garage door technician this week in connection with two rapes – including one of a 9-year-old girl – which occurred in Orange County in the mid-1990s.
Kevin Konther was taken into custody Thursday at his home in the San Bernardino County community of Highland.
Konther is suspected of raping a 9-year-old girl as she was walking home from a convenience store in Lake Forest on the evening Oct. 21, 1995, Orange County Sheriff's Department reports.
He is also suspected of raped a woman as she was jogging on a trail in Mission Viejo on the morning June 2, 1998.
Sheriff's investigators spent the past 23 years running DNA evidence from both crimes through their crime lab with no results. However, in August of last year, sheriff's detectives – using the same methods that helped lead to the arrest of the notorious Golden State Killer suspect – got a breakthrough that lead them to twin brothers with identical DNA.
On Thursday, detectives arrested both men, and after questioning them, determined that Konther was their suspect, the sheriff's department reports. However, Konther's brother remains in custody.
Konther was booked on charges of rape, oral copulation with a person under 14, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and aggravated sexual assault. He is being held on $1 million bail.
He is set to be arraigned on Monday.
Prosecutors say there may be additional victims and that Konther could face 130 years to life in prison.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.