DNA evidence connects Minneapolis driver to two sexual assaults a decade apart, charges say
A Minneapolis man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2012 when he was working as a cab driver and a similar crime 10 years later when driving an Uber.
Angel Rodolfo Fernandez Morocho, 46, is charged with third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in the first case, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in the latter, court documents filed Friday in Hennepin County show.
In each case, according to criminal complaints, a woman leaving downtown Minneapolis fell asleep in the back of a car — a taxi in 2012, and an Uber in 2022 — and woke up as the driver was sexually assaulting her.
In the 2012 assault, the victim took documents from the cab with the name "Angel Fernandez" on them, and authorities recovered a man's DNA from the victim. She also described the cab as a Chevrolet Impala. Despite that, officials could not positively identify a suspect, according to the complaint. Eleven years later, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension matched DNA from the 2022 assault to the one in 2012. The case was reopened in 2025 amid an effort by local authorities to clear a backlog of sexual assault kits.
Authorities identified Fernandez Morocho as a suspect based on vehicle and occupational records, the complaint states. Last month, they executed a search warrant to retrieve his DNA. At that time, he said he never "acted inappropriately or sexually with a female passenger," according to the complaint.
The BCA then matched the new DNA sample to those collected in the 2012 and 2022 cases, the complaint states.
About three weeks after the search warrant was executed, in an interview with police, Fernandez Morocho "expressed guilt" for the assaults, the complaint states. He said the 2012 victim "might not have wanted to kiss her on the neck" and the 2022 victim "was not conscious enough to consent to sex."
Fernandez Morocho is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 12.
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites:
