Rape suspect faces trial after 10 years due to advanced DNA method

A 50-year-old man has gone on trial in Denmark, accused of the violent rape of an 89-year-old woman in 2015, after police used an advanced DNA technique to identify him nearly a decade later, DR reports. The defendant denies the charges, with a verdict expected by late April.

The case centres on an attack in September 2015, when the elderly victim was allegedly dragged from her home in Over Fussing, near Randers, and assaulted. According to the indictment, the suspect grabbed her by the throat, ordered her to be silent, and left her outside afterward. The woman, who was nearly blind and relied on limited home care, died months later.

Her daughter, Rita Møller, told DR she received the news of the arrest in February 2024 after years of uncertainty. “It was very upsetting. I shook all over and cried,” she said. “But it was also a relief. We didn’t know who had done this.” The family had moved the victim to a nursing home after the attack, fearing for her safety while the perpetrator remained at large.

Police initially lacked decisive evidence, but a breakthrough came when a specialised DNA method linked the suspect to crime scene samples through a close relative’s genetic profile. The same technique has been used in other cold cases involving rape and murder. The defendant, who has been in pretrial detention since early 2024, also faces charges of indecent exposure for allegedly filming unsuspecting men and women.

Møller described her mother’s decline after the assault: “She lost her will to live.” The trial, expected to last several days, follows years of distress for the family. “We’ve had so many sleepless nights, nightmares, and speculation,” Møller said. “She trusted everyone—ending her life this way has been hard for all of us.”