A New Hampshire man has been charged with raping a young mother 34 years ago in Peabody, Massachusetts.
Darrell Lavoie, a 59-year-old professional photographer, was ordered held on a $100,000 bail on Monday when he appeared in court charged with aggravated rape, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and breaking and entering, WBTS reports.
Prosecutors told the court that the victim was returning home from her job on November 12, 1991, when she was blindfolded and raped by a man who held a knife to her neck.
“The victim has been looking over her shoulder for 34 years, unable to put a face to the person who brutally raped her in her own home,” Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick said.
Strasnick said the rapist told her that “if you do what I tell you, you won’te get hurt,” WCVB reported.
“As she started to scream, he said, ‘Shut up,’ and placed a serrated knife against her neck,” she said.
Prosecutors said that shortly after the attack, Lavoie’s then-girlfriend told detectives that she thought he may have been involved.
“She indicated she found a bag under her porch that contained a roll of duct tape, a hood with eye cutouts, a knife and a rag,” Strasnick said. “When she confronted Mr. Lavoie about it, he said it was for hunting.”
Lavoie refused to provide a DNA sample at the time, but he stayed on investigators’ radar. In 2006, they developed a profile based on sample from the rape kit, but Lavoie was not in a national database. Instead, a rape indictment was handed up for “John Doe.”
Then, this summer, investigators obtained warrants to collect samples from people identified during the investigation, including Lavoie. He matched.
In court on Monday, Lavoie’s attorney sought a $7,500 bail, citing his lack of a criminal record and service as a decorated combat veteran in Vietnam, while prosecutors asked for $250,000, WBTS said.
The judge opted for $100,000 and ordered him to remain in Massachuetts and have no contact with the victim or witnesses if he bonds out, WCVB said.
He is due back in court on January 9.
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[Featured image: Darrell Lavoie in court on November 17/Pool via WBTS]
