Detectives used DNA from water glass in investigation of attorney accused of rapes in Boston

Detectives used DNA evidence gathered from a water glass in their investigation into Matthew Nilo, a man who has been charged with multiple rapes in Boston in 2007 and 2008.

Mr Nilo, who is now a lawyer based in New Jersey, was arraigned in court on Monday on three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and several other charges. If he is convicted, Mr Nilo could be sentenced to life in prison.

That Mr Nilo is under arrest at all is a testament to the power of DNA testing. The rapes that Mr Nilo is now charged with had gone unsolved for nearly a decade-and-a-half when Boston police decided to begin reviewing the series of unsolved rapes last year.

According to reporting from The Daily Beast, authorities identified Mr Nilo as a suspect based in part on DNA samples submitted by family members to online ancestry sites and got FBI agents to track his movements. Shortly thereafter, agents saw Mr Nilo handle a water glass and silverware at a corporate event and snagged them — allegedly lifting his DNA off the glass and matching it to a DNA profile on a glove one of the victims wore during the 2008 assault.

Prosecutors say the DNA on the victim’s glove is 314 times more likely to belong to Mr Nilo than any other male. The assaults reportedly occurred in the Charlestown neighborhood.

Mr Nilo, who is 35 now and would have been around 20 when the assaults occurred, worked at insurance firm Cowbell Cyber in Manhattan prior to his arrest and lives in Weehawken, New Jersey. Insurance Journal reported that Mr Nilo is originally from the Boston area, but has also lived in Wisconsin, California and New York.

A judge on Monday set Mr Nilo’s bail at $5m and ordered that he wear a GPS monitor if he is released prior to the beginning of his trial. Mr Nilo was accompanied during his appearance in court by his fiance, Laura Griffin.