QUEENS, NY – Michael Benjamin was arraigned today on multiple charges including rape, sodomy, and burglary for allegedly assaulting five women from 1995 to 1997. He was originally indicted in 2005 as an unidentified suspect, John Doe, based on collected evidence.
In May, DNA evidence from a discarded cup found in the Rockdale County Sheriff’s office in Georgia matched DNA samples retrieved from the victims during the investigations. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz cited the bravery of the victims in bringing the case forward.
Benjamin, 57, of Conyers, Georgia, faces a 17-count indictment that includes five counts of rape in the first degree, four counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, and two counts of robbery in the first degree. Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris remanded him and scheduled his next court appearance for December 5.
According to the indictment, the defendant is linked to a series of violent crimes in Jamaica, St. Albans, Laurelton, and Brookville during the late 1990s. Katz stated that “after several decades, this defendant will finally face charges of violently raping at least five women.”
The indictment details four specific incidents involving five victims. On July 24, 1995, Benjamin broke into a home and attacked a woman while she slept. On August 24, 1996, he assaulted another woman at her home.
A third incident occurred on September 16, 1996, when he forced a woman inside her house at gunpoint and assaulted her. The final incident, on February 8, 1997, involved two victims who were attacked in their home.
Benjamin was apprehended in Georgia on September 22 and extradited to New York on October 15. The investigation was conducted by the NYPD Cold Case Squad.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to pursue justice, regardless of how much time has passed.
A man accused of a string of violent rapes in the 1990s finally faces justice in Queens.