MA - Alleged Serial Rapist, Attorney Matthew Nilo, 35, Arrested Due To Genetic Genealogy, 2023 June 1

[Gardenista]

Attorney Arrested 15 Years Later Over Serial Rapes in Boston

Matthew J. Nilo, 35, was likely a college student at the time of the assaults, and officials believe he may be involved in more unsolved incidents.

www.thedailybeast.com

In this video, they say there may be more victims

 

[Gardenista]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1663889821238976520

 

[Gardenista]

 

[vls12345]

N.J. Attorney and Suspected Serial Rapist Arrested and Charged With 4 Boston Rapes

Matthew Nilo, 35, has been charged with aggravated rape, kidnapping, assault with intent to rape, and indecent assault and battery.

people.com

 

[vls12345]

Cops Used Fake Package to Lure Attorney Accused of Serial Rapes

Matthew Nilo was told his delivery didn‘t fit into the facility’s lockers, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[BrownRice]

It’s egregious it took 15 years for the system to process DNA from rape victims. Love how family genealogy is solving crimes decades later.

He was really young back then. Wonder if there’s more victims who will come forward.

Feel bad for his fiancée, but hopefully she can one day realize she dodged a bullet. Can’t imagine a man like that can change.

 

[BrownRice]

NJ lawyer Matthew Nilo appears in court with fiancée in connection to Boston rape spree

Nilo, a Boston native, proposed just weeks before he was arrested in connection to attacks on four women in Boston between August 2007 and December 2008, according to now-deleted social media posts…

nypost.com

Fiancée was with him at court hearing. Assume she is in disbelief. Article says they were recently engaged. Can’t imagine how she can process being over the moon ecstatic to this.

 

[LadyL]

oh I am positive there's many other crimes he will be connected to
love genetic genealogy!

 

[BrownRice]

I haven’t read any of the details of the rapes. Was he someone who broke into apartments in the middle of the night, followed women home from bars, date rape, etc?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Wow, he probably thought as long as he was never arrested for anything and his DNA wasn't on file that he couldn't be caught.

A question about genetic geneology. How do they rule out any brothers he might have (if he even has any)? I assume they have now obtained a direct DNA sample from him, though.

 

[LadyL]

FB of his: Matthew Nilo

 

[BrownRice]

Wow, he probably thought as long as he was never arrested for anything and his DNA wasn't on file that he couldn't be caught.

A question about genetic geneology. How do they rule out any brothers he might have (if he even has any)? I assume they have now obtained a direct DNA sample from him, though.

I’m curious about that too. The entire process is fascinating.

 

[Yemelyan]

Wow, he probably thought as long as he was never arrested for anything and his DNA wasn't on file that he couldn't be caught.

A question about genetic geneology. How do they rule out any brothers he might have (if he even has any)? I assume they have now obtained a direct DNA sample from him, though.

The hit from genetic genealogy analysis is never the final "proof" that LE offer. Instead, it is treated like a tip or lead that is then confirmed through direct DNA analysis of his own sample with those from the crimes. This is how they eliminate any other close relatives. However, looking at publicly available obituaries of individuals related to the subject (found by googling his name) it does not appear that there are any male siblings.

 

[Yemelyan]

I haven’t read any of the details of the rapes. Was he someone who broke into apartments in the middle of the night, followed women home from bars, date rape, etc?

It doesn't sound like date rape:

"At the time, police said the victims had been picked up downtown and driven to Charlestown, where they were attacked."

From this article: Accused serial rapist heading back to Mass. to face charges

Something about the language used ("picked up downtown") makes me wonder if the victims were sex workers. Which could have contributed to how long it took to solve this, if true.

I noticed that the dates of the attacks seem to correspond with when he would have been back in town on college breaks.

 

[Yemelyan]

It’s egregious it took 15 years for the system to process DNA from rape victims. Love how family genealogy is solving crimes decades later.

He was really young back then. Wonder if there’s more victims who will come forward.

Feel bad for his fiancée, but hopefully she can one day realize she dodged a bullet. Can’t imagine a man like that can change.

If you look at his Facebook, you'll see that there were numerous young women attracted to and interested in him down through the years. He had tons of male friends as well. His fiancee is sticking by him for now, probably because she hasn't seen all the evidence that the police have on him. He comes across as fun, intelligent, and successful. All of this to say, he compartmentalizes this part of him that wants to brutalize women. He is an extremely dangerous type of person. I'd bet the farm so to speak, that there are many other assaults. As to whether they will come to light, I'm guessing probably not all of them.

 

[MrsWatson]

Attorney accused of rapes in Boston in 2007 and 2008 faces charges

Matthew Nilo, 35, was arrested Tuesday in New Jersey and will be taken to Massachusetts. He will plead not guilty, his attorney said.

www.nbcnews.com

Nilo is an attorney who is from the Boston area, but after 2008 he also lived in Wisconsin, California and New York, Bonavolonta said.

***
Cowbell, a company that advertises cyber insurance, employed Nilo but has since suspended him, a spokesperson said.

The company, which hired Nilo in January after he passed a background check, has suspended him pending further investigation, spokesman Justin Finnegan said in an email. The company did not say what role he held.

 

[Snoopster]

Attorney accused of rapes in Boston in 2007 and 2008 faces charges

Matthew Nilo, 35, was arrested Tuesday in New Jersey and will be taken to Massachusetts. He will plead not guilty, his attorney said.

www.nbcnews.com

Nilo is an attorney who is from the Boston area, but after 2008 he also lived in Wisconsin, California and New York, Bonavolonta said.

***
Cowbell, a company that advertises cyber insurance, employed Nilo but has since suspended him, a spokesperson said.

The company, which hired Nilo in January after he passed a background check, has suspended him pending further investigation, spokesman Justin Finnegan said in an email. The company did not say what role he held.

I'm sure investigators have developed a timeline for his locations. It's not surprising that the serial rapes in Charlestown ended in 2010. They will be looking carefully for other victims in other locations.

 

[Yemelyan]

This arrest came about because of a specific federal grant:

"The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI grant, a federal program meant to help process sexual assault collection kits to reduce a persistent backlog, helped in the investigation, Cox said.
Investigators from the Sexual Assault Unit at the Boston Police Department reached out to the FBI for assistance in October.
Using investigative genetic genealogy, a unique method that combines DNA analysis with genealogy research and historical records to generate new leads in unsolved homicides, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes, investigators identified Nilo as a suspect, Bonovolonta said.
Investigators received positive confirmation of Nilo’s identity last month, Bonovolonta said."

Source: N.J. lawyer arrested in connection with four rapes in Charlestown in 2007 and 2008 - The Boston Globe

This same federal grant was used to gather the evidence needed to arrest Ivan Wai Cheung, a different Boston serial rapist last September: Ex-employee of prominent bank charged with 4 rapes returns to court

I'm bringing that article forward because it talks a little more about how Boston LE are using the SAKI grant:

"The initiative, funded by a federal grant, pays for sophisticated DNA testing of rape kits that — until now — had not yielded enough DNA to test....The new initiative has also helped bring more modern techniques to the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit, allowing them to build a spreadsheet of unsolved rapes to look for so-far undetected patterns, for example.
The grant is also paying for Boston police to digitize case files going back to the 1980s and hire a criminal analyst to work with the lab and investigators.
Earlier this summer, 5 Investigates’ Karen Anderson was granted rare access inside the Boston police crime lab and sat down with the crime lab director, the police lieutenant leading the sex assault unit, and the police department’s director of research and development to talk about the initiative.
"They're the ones that are going to be sitting down with these detectives and going through these big boxes of evidence," Maria Cheevers, the research director, said in the interview, referring to the crime analysts. "What are all these other databases out there that we can start looking in and identifying modus operandi and other trends? And if you know who this person is, how do we get them?""

 

[10ofRods]

Wow, he probably thought as long as he was never arrested for anything and his DNA wasn't on file that he couldn't be caught.

A question about genetic geneology. How do they rule out any brothers he might have (if he even has any)? I assume they have now obtained a direct DNA sample from him, though.

If he has any brothers, perhaps they were not in the area at the time. That would be enough to get an arrest warrant and then, his actual sample. He was about 18-19 years old at the time. Hard to believe he stopped, although it's possible.

Is he out on bail? People.com article makes it sound like he's not, as his attorney spoke outside the courthouse with no mention of him being there.

Nilo was probably think he'd got away with it. Quite the shock, I'm sure.

N.J. Attorney and Suspected Serial Rapist Arrested and Charged With 4 Boston Rapes

Matthew Nilo, 35, has been charged with aggravated rape, kidnapping, assault with intent to rape, and indecent assault and battery.

people.com

 

[Yemelyan]

If he has any brothers, perhaps they were not in the area at the time. That would be enough to get an arrest warrant and then, his actual sample. He was about 18-19 years old at the time. Hard to believe he stopped, although it's possible.

Is he out on bail? People.com article makes it sound like he's not, as his attorney spoke outside the courthouse with no mention of him being there.

Nilo was probably think he'd got away with it. Quite the shock, I'm sure.

N.J. Attorney and Suspected Serial Rapist Arrested and Charged With 4 Boston Rapes

Matthew Nilo, 35, has been charged with aggravated rape, kidnapping, assault with intent to rape, and indecent assault and battery.

people.com

I don't think any bail hearing has been considered yet as he still has to be extradited: Attorney Arrested in Years-Old Boston Rapes Set for Return to Mass.

I'm sure he is hoping that by waiving his rights to an extradition hearing that can speed up the process of getting a hearing on bail.

That article also has a small detail about his arrest in NJ:
"Court documents say authorities lured Nilo out of his apartment by telling him he had a large package to pick up at the front desk."