NEW YORK (AP) - Authorities say a man could face up to 25 years in prison if he’s convicted of raping a woman in her home over 17 years ago.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says the defendant, Richard Thomas, is being held without bail while awaiting his next court appearance, on June 12. An indictment charges him with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy.
The DA says the woman and her husband were awakened by an intruder in their Far Rockaway home in July 1996. He threatened them with a gun before raping the wife.
Authorities say they’ve now gotten a DNA “hit” as part of a cold-case initiative.
Defense attorney Scott Davis declined to comment on Monday.
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