Crime & Safety

East Coast Rapist Faces New Charges in Maryland

Aaron Thomas, who was recently convicted of attacking three girls in Prince William County, is accused of raping six more victims in Maryland.

The admitted "East Coast Rapist," Aaron Thomas, has already been sentenced in Prince William and Loudoun counties for attacks on multiple women and will spend the rest of his life in prison. 

But the justice system demands accountability for all the crimes Thomas is accused of, and so he will be arraigned on April 12 for six more rapes in Maryland, according to Gazette.net. 

"Regardless of the sentences he has in other jurisdictions, that doesn’t hold him accountable and punish him for the alleged rapes he committed here,” John Erzen, a spokesman for the Prince George's County state attorney's office, told the Gazette. “They want to see him held accountable for his crimes.”

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Thomas was sentenced to three life terms in Prince William County Circuit Court this March for abducting three girls in 2009 and raping two of them in Dale City. He was sentenced to two more life terms in Loudoun County for the rape of a Leesburg woman. He is also accused of attacking women in Alexandria. 

Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said in March that authorities believe he is connected to at least 17 rapes. Ebert said that 12 of the cases have DNA evidence tying Thomas to the crimes. Local police departments and the FBI spent years trying to find the perpetrator of the dozen sexual assaults committed between 1997 and 2009. 

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Previous coverage:

  • Victims to East Coast Rapist: 'I Forgive You'
  • Aaron Thomas to Serve Life in Prison
  • East Coast Rapist Pleads Guilty to Halloween Attacks
  • Thomas Refuses Plea Deal
  • East Coast Rapist Caught Thanks to Technology
  • Digital Billboards Launched for East Coast Rapist Investigation


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