Florida man gets 25 years for 2001 Bronx rape cracked through investigative genetic genealogy
A Florida man was sentenced Friday in a Bronx rape case that dates back nearly 25 years.
Jancys Santiago, 51, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of the December 2001 attack that took place inside a college student's Bronx apartment while she was sleeping.
"I experienced absolute terror and revulsion," Katy Vicchitto told the judge during sentencing. CBS News New York does not usually name sexual assault victims, but Vicchitto has long been vocal about her experience.
"My experience as a survivor of sexual assault affects every aspect of my life," she told the judge.
She described staying up all night with the TV on, panic attacks, and difficulty with relationships as she pointed out Santiago got to live all those years with no accountability, until now.
A jury convicted Santiago of the attack on Vicchitto, finding he broke into her Bronx apartment while she was asleep, covered her face and bound her wrists and ankles with wire hangers, and then raped her.
Santiago also lived in the same building as Vicchitto.
Santiago didn't speak at sentencing, but his defense attorney did, telling the judge Santiago "maintains his innocence."
The judge took note of that, saying, "You refuse to acknowledge your actions and the pain you caused in any way."
Santiago is the first person in New York to be convicted following the use of investigative genetic genealogy. DNA recovered from Vicchitto matched DNA from an unsolved Manhattan rape in 2000.
Investigative genetic genealogy "uses commercial DNA databases with the users' consent to assist law enforcement to connect unidentified DNA recovered from crime scenes to an individual by tracing family relationships and constructing a family tree," Bronx DA Darcel Clark explained.
"This defendant committed a heinous crime. He then went about his life for 22 years while the victim endured the physical and emotional trauma of the assault. But thanks to investigators who did not give up and advancements in forensic science, the case was ultimately solved. I hope the decades this defendant will spend in prison will offer some comfort to the victim," Clark said.
Santiago was previously convicted of raping a Manhattan woman, and sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case. Friday's 25-year sentence will run consecutively.
