Hammer Attack Suspect Tied To Great Neck Break-In
NEW YORK (1010 WINS/CBS 2) -- A DNA match has linked a man to one of five violent home invasions on Long Island and the rape of a girl in Texas, and Nassau County Police said Thursday they believe the man is responsible for all six break-ins.
All of the home invasions -- including an attempted break-in -- have taken place since November in Kings Point and Great Neck. In one of the break-ins, the suspect broke into the bedroom of a sleeping 15-year-old girl, placed a wet cloth over her face and assaulted her, police said. Authorities were able to get a sample of his DNA from a hat that he left behind at the scene.
"She struggled, she screamed, he fled, he left the hat behind," Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey told CBS 2's Demetra Ganias.
In other cases, pushed a knife to the neck of a 61-year-old woman and he held closed the lips of a five-year-old girl, according to police.
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1010 WINS' Mona Rivera talks with Nassau County Police Commissioner about the suspect wanted in two states.
Although police only know him as "Marvin," the suspect's DNA was found in a national database linking him to a September 2009 toddler rape in Laredo, Texas. Nassau detectives gathered physical evidence in the home of a woman he attacked after she hired him to fix her leaky toilet this summer, police said.
Police said the suspect is also wanted in connecting with a July 2009 attack, in which he used a metal hammer to repeatedly beat a 51-year-old Hempstead woman who complained about his poor work fixing her toilet.
"It was quite a gruesome scene," said Detective Lt. Ray Cote of the Third Squad.
The woman suffered multiple skull fractures and permanent neurological damage, Cote said.
The suspect is described as a 5-foot, 2-inch tall day laborer from Honduras with short, dark hair and possibly a limp. He wore a glove on his left hand, which police believe may be to cover up an injury, and was seen in the area in September looking for work at Home Depot, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported.
Area residents have been cautioned to lock windows and doors, set home alarm systems and call police if they hear suspicious noises.
"There are doors open, there are windows open," Marsha Rotman, of the Kings Point Civic Association, told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis. "People say their children go in and out, they're not going to put on their alarm - it's got to stop."
Police said Thursday that they have contacted "America's Most Wanted" to help in the case.
"We need to get this guy off the street and in jail," Commissioner Mulvey said.
Police have asked anyone with information about this crime, or anyone who can provide the identity of the subject, to contact them using their toll-free hotline: 1-800-244-TIPS (8477). All calls will be kept confidential. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest.
