Trial Ordered For Accused Juniata Park Serial Attacker
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 25-year-old Philadelphia man has been ordered held for trial after victims described being grabbed on the street by this alleged serial attacker.
Authorities say he terrorized the Juniata Park neighborhood in October.
The first victim, a 22-year-old woman, was attacked early on the morning October 10th while walking to the Market-Frankford El on her way to work.
"The victim is appraoched by a man with a gun and forced into an alleyway at gunpoint," says prosecutor Kelly Harrell. "The defendant rapes her and then steals money at the end of it."
A second woman, 21 years old, was attacked later that same morning, but the attacker let her go when a car passed by. That attack was captured by neighborhood surveillance video (see related story).
The third victim, a 15-year-old girl on her way to school, was targeted five days later but broke free and fled.
None of the victims could identify the attacker, but Harrell says there is a DNA match to defendant Byron Mitchell in two of the three cases.
Michell's attorney says he maintains his innocence and looks forward to fighting the charges.