Virginia police have arrested a man accused of impersonating radio host Don Geronimo and raping a woman, closing an investigation that began more than 30 years ago.
William Clark faces charges of rape, abduction with intent to defile, and attempted forcible sodomy after he allegedly tricked a 14-year-old girl into believing she had won a radio contest and needed to meet him at the Fairfax County radio station to receive her prize. When she arrived, Clark abducted the girl and took her to a dirt road where he raped her, according to police.
The arrest closes the case that had police investigate over 70 suspects in the span of 35 years. Investigators linked Clark to the crime by using genetic genealogy. Although he was not an initial suspect when the case began, investigators matched Clark’s DNA with a sample taken from the crime scene, police said.
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“A gallon of gas costs 89 cents. President Ronald Reagan delivered his famous speech at the Berlin Wall,” said Fairfax County Police Maj. Ed O’Carroll in a press conference on Wednesday. “Here we are 35 years, six weeks, and three days away from that heinous crime.”
It’s not clear whether Clark, who was 24 years old at the time of the incident, knew the girl before allegedly entrapping her. However, he had gotten her information after phoning her mother in 1987, claiming to be famed radio host Don Geronimo and telling her she needed to listen to his radio station to be entered into a contest to win $1,000 and a trip to Hawaii, police said.
The mother ended up giving Clark her home phone number and address after he told her she would need to provide personal information in order to be eligible, according to police.
Clark called the woman’s home a few days later, and her daughter picked up the phone, police said. To claim the prize, he told the teenager she had to meet him in person at the radio station, where he forced her into his car and drove to a nearby wooded area to sexually assault her. He then left her there and drove off.
The teenager reported the incident that day, igniting the yearslong investigation, according to police.
The rape had gained attention from local news media, including Geronimo himself.
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“Monday was really like the worst day of my life,” Geronimo told the Washington Post at the time. “To even be remotely involved in a rape case and have my name used … it’s almost sick. It is sick. The whole idea is sick.”
The 59-year-old suspect was taken into custody on Monday and is being held without bond. It’s not clear whether Clark has an attorney, as his case is not yet listed on the county court website.
