Georgia Man Arrested for Allegedly Raping 5 Women in Violent 1990s NYC Home Invasions
QUEENS, N.Y. — A 57-year-old Georgia man has been arrested and charged in connection with a string of violent home invasion rapes that terrorized women in southeast Queens during the mid-1990s, authorities announced Thursday.
The suspect, Michael Benjamin, was taken into custody after DNA evidence from a discarded cup allegedly tied him to five brutal sexual assaults that took place between 1995 and 1997.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the arrest came nearly three decades after the attacks — made possible by advances in DNA technology and a renewed push by the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad.
DNA Evidence Links Suspect to 1990s Rapes
Benjamin, who lived in Conyers, Georgia, was first detained on September 22 after visiting the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office for unrelated business. Investigators later recovered a cup he discarded, which led to a DNA match with biological evidence preserved from the New York crime scenes.
He was extradited to New York this week and booked on multiple felony charges, including:
- Rape in the first degree
- Sodomy in the first degree
- Sexual assault in the first degree
- Burglary in the first degree
Benjamin was arraigned on a 17-count indictment and ordered held without bail.
Five Violent Attacks Across Southeast Queens
According to court documents, Benjamin’s alleged attacks followed a chillingly similar pattern — breaking into women’s homes, covering their faces, and assaulting them at gunpoint.
Authorities said the first assault occurred in July 1995, when Benjamin allegedly broke into the home of a 24-year-old woman in St. Albans, pulled a sheet over her head, and raped her before stealing cash and jewelry.
In August 1996, prosecutors say he entered another home near 140th Avenue and South Conduit Avenue, covering a 27-year-old victim’s head with a jacket before assaulting her and ransacking the property.
One of the most disturbing incidents occurred in September 1996, when Benjamin allegedly abducted a 21-year-old woman as she returned home near 131st Street and Hook Creek Boulevard. Police say he forced her inside at gunpoint, threatened her family, and raped her while her husband and child were in the next room.
Two more assaults reportedly followed in February 1997, targeting women aged 21 and 33 in a home near 241st Street and 136th Avenue. Prosecutors say Benjamin ate food and drank alcohol inside the victims’ home before fleeing with more stolen items.
Suspect Screams His Innocence in Custody
When Benjamin was escorted from a Bronx precinct Thursday, he shouted at reporters, proclaiming his innocence.
“I didn’t do this. I didn’t do none of this. What victims? I didn’t do nothing,” Benjamin yelled as he was led away by detectives from the Special Victims Division DNA Cold Case Squad.
Public records show Benjamin is already a registered level 3 sex offender, stemming from a 1990 attempted rape conviction in New York for which he received five years’ probation.
Investigators believe he relocated to Georgia shortly after the Queens attacks.
Cold Case Breakthrough After Decades
Authorities said Benjamin was pre-indicted under a “John Doe” DNA profile in 2002, which kept the statute of limitations from expiring while they awaited a match.
Defense attorney Joseph Amsel argued the charges are unfair due to the time elapsed.
“It’s fundamentally unfair to require somebody to defend themselves against allegations going back 30 years,” Amsel said. “He denies the allegations wholeheartedly and looks forward to his day in court.”
District Attorney Katz praised the victims’ courage and the persistence of investigators in solving the decades-old crimes.
“After several decades, this defendant will finally face charges of violently raping at least five women, some at gunpoint,” Katz said. “Although decades have passed, these cold cases were not forgotten. It is never too late for justice.”
If convicted, Benjamin faces up to 25 years in prison. He is scheduled to appear in Queens Criminal Court on December 5.
Residents can follow updates on major criminal cases and cold case breakthroughs across the region at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.
Author: Caleb Ward | Category: Crime
