VERNON, Conn. (WTNH) — Vernon Police announced Thursday they have made an arrest in connection to a series of cold case sexual assaults and burglaries.
Police said 47-year-old Angelo Alleano Jr., of Vernon, was arrested on Wednesday and was charged with four counts of sexual assault and three counts of burglary.
Between 2001 and 2008, both Manchester and Vernon police investigated several burglaries in homes where the suspect sexually assaulted his victims. Police believed the incidents were related to the same suspect.
They said the first attack happened in August 2001 at the Squire Village Apartments in Manchester. The 84-year-old victim claims the suspect broke in and raped her on her couch at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Police reports state he would place a pillow over his victims’ faces, threaten them and ask them for money. Victims also said he had an issue performing the sexual acts.
A “John Doe” warrant was signed in 2010 as police tried to identify the suspect with forensic evidence left at the scenes. Police said new ancestry technology has led them to identify Alleano as “John Doe.”
“Information based on the evidence obtained a profile at all four scenes of the incidents and provided them to the forensic lab,” Lieutenant Ryan Shea said.
At the time of arrest, Alleano was already at the Vernon Police Department for an investigation into an unrelated domestic violence offense. He gave a DNA sample and was linked to the cold cases. He was also arrested in the domestic violence chase and was charged with disorderly conduct.
“This case should send a strong message: we will not give up,” said Vernon Police Lieutenant William Meier.
His bond is set at $5 million. He will be arraigned in Hartford Superior Court on Friday.
Police said this investigation is still ongoing. The FBI and Eastern Connecticut Health Network have assisted with the investigation.
