Sacramento detectives use DNA to find ‘Cloverleaf Rapist’
SACRAMENTO — A man suspected of raping women near Sacramento freeway interchanges several years ago has been arrested after investigators used DNA technology and genealogy websites to zero in on him.
J.D. Wallace Simien, 40, was taken into custody Thursday and booked for investigation of felony kidnapping, rape, oral copulation and robbery charges, according to jail and court records.
Sacramento County prosecutors and sheriff’s officials said in a joint statement that investigators had linked an unspecified number of violent sexual assaults between 2013 and 2014 to the “Cloverleaf Rapist,” because the crimes happened near freeway entrances and exits that resemble a cloverleaf pattern.
The investigation went cold until detectives used the same DNA genealogy techniques to identify and capture Joseph DeAngelo, dubbed the Golden State Killer, and Roy Waller, the so-called “NorCal Rapist” who was convicted last year of raping nine women in their homes.
“DNA technology is a great tool in our criminal justice system,” District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said in the statement. “DNA can not only be used to exonerate the innocent, but it is a powerful investigative tool for violent crimes that have grown cold because traditional investigative methods are unable to solve the case.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Rod Norgaard declined to release further details of the case, including the number of victims and the dates of the crimes, citing the ongoing investigation. A complaint was expected to be filed Monday, when Simien is scheduled to make his first court appearance.
It’s not known whether Simien has retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
DeAngelo, a former police officer who committed 13 murders and dozens of rapes, evaded capture for decades before the district attorney’s crime lab used DNA from crime scenes to compare to DNA provided to a genealogical website. He was convicted and sentenced last year to life in prison without parole.
Waller was sentenced last year to 897 years in prison — the maximum allowed by law — for raping nine women during a 15year crime spree that started in 1991.
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday his symptoms of COVID-19 have been mild.
Garcetti spoke to Los Angeles TV station KABC from his hotel room in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is quarantining since testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while attending a United Nations climate conference.
The mayor, who is fully vaccinated, initially expressed hope that it was a false positive but he said Friday that he had again tested positive. He said his symptoms include a loss of taste and a head cold “but my energy’s good.”
“I always wanted a 10-day vacation in Scotland,” he said. “I just didn’t think it would be inside a hotel room that entire time.”
Garcetti said he hoped to return to Los Angeles after another week in Scotland and he plans to get a booster shot.
LOS ANGELES — Californians were warned of potential dangers on west-facing beaches Friday due to astronomical high tides and large, breaking waves.
Waves up to 14 feet were predicted for the Central Coast, along with rip currents, the National Weather Service said.
While not quite as high, waves down the Southern California coast were also expected to make swimming conditions dangerous.
In Northern California, forecasters said high tides would cause minor flooding in low-lying areas around the Humboldt Bay area.
RIO DELL — Leaders of a small Northern California city voted to destroy about 200 guns that have accumulated in a police evidence locker rather than sell any of them at auction.
The Rio Dell City Council approved destruction of the firearms in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, the Eureka Times-Standard reported.
“I am good with the idea of guns. I am not good with the idea of the city being in the business of selling guns,” said Mayor Debra Garnes, who voted for the motion.
Destroying the guns will cost the city $2,500. About 100 guns could have been sold, netting the city about $15,000, the Times-Standard said.
The guns have accumulated since 1994. About half would have been destroyed regardless of the council action because they are rusted, incomplete or illegal to own in California.