Massachusetts

Massachusetts rape suspect wanted for decades-old crimes captured after police chase in Los Angeles

Published

5 months ago

August 9, 2024

Massachusetts rape suspect wanted for decades-old crimes captured after police chase in Los Angeles

A suspected serial rapist from Massachusetts accused of raping two women at gunpoint nearly 35 years ago led California law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County on a car chase Thursday before being taken into custody.

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was driving a Lincoln SUV while trying to get away from authorities before surrendering around 5:30 p.m, a Los Angeles Police Department source told Fox News Digital.

Gale was identified and charged with four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery of two women at a convenience store in Framingham, Massachusetts, near Boston, in 1989.

Authorities publicly identified him in connection with the crimes in May.

Gale lived in several other states, used multiple aliases and previously had ties to organized crime, but efforts to locate him were unsuccessful, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said at the time.

Investigators said Gale entered the Hit or Miss Store on Dec. 27, 1989, showed a .357 Magnum handgun and forced two female employees to the back of the store.

He forced them to take off their clothes and placed them in separate rooms, authorities said.

“He sexually assaulted both women while holding the gun to their heads,” Ryan’s office said. “When the suspect returned to the front of the store, the victims fled out the rear fire door to a nearby home.”

Evidence was collected at the scene and a DNA sample was later obtained. A DNA profile was developed in 2001, but failed to match with anyone in law enforcement databases.

Authorities later identified Gale as the suspected rapist through forensic genetic genealogy.

In addition to the two rapes at gunpoint, Gale was wanted for questioning in connection with a series of rapes that occurred in 1989 and 1990, the US Marshals Service said.

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Massachusetts

Search underway for missing woman Owen Kasozi in Beverly, last seen walking dog on Christmas Eve

Published

11 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Search underway for missing woman Owen Kasozi in Beverly, last seen walking dog on Christmas Eve

CBS News Boston

Live

BEVERLY – A search is underway in Massachusetts for missing woman Owen Kasozi, who police say is “possibly endangered.” Police said she was last seen on Tuesday at about 3 p.m. near the JC Phillips Nature Preserve in Beverly.

Her family tells WBZ-TV she was walking her dog at the time.

I-Team sources say police are looking into reports that Kasozi was walking or running after her dog when she went missing. A dog believed to be Kasozi’s was found wet in Topsfield, and her car was found nearby.

Missing woman Owen Kasozi

Photos provided by family

A Massachusetts State Police helicopter was helping to search the area around 801 Cabot St. in Beverly on Wednesday. Anyone who has seen Kasozi or has information is asked to call Beverly police at 978-922-1212.

Neal Riley

Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.

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Massachusetts

What’s open and closed in Massachusetts on Christmas Day?

Published

20 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

What’s open and closed in Massachusetts on Christmas Day?

It’s Christmas Day! Time to open presents, be with loved ones and celebrate the beauty of giving. Even on Christmas, there are still a few places you can go for last-minute provisions. But can you go to the bank or post office or catch a bus?

Here’s what is open and closed on Dec. 25, 2024.

Government

City and town offices: Closed

State offices: Closed

Registry of Motor Vehicles: Closed

State and local courts: Closed

Federal courts: Closed

Finance

Banks: Closed. Most ATMs will remain open.

Stock market: Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are closed.

Alcohol and recreational drugs

Liquor stores: Open

Cannabis dispensaries: Massachusetts regulators don’t identify specific holidays when cannabis dispensaries must close, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. It’s up to the respective cannabis store as to whether they choose to be open or closed on Christmas Day.