A 48-year-old man from Kostroma Region, Russia, will stand trial on charges of raping a woman he did not know near a row of garages in December 2018, the regional branch of Russia's Investigative Committee told Lenta.ru.
The suspect has been charged under Article 132 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers violent sexual acts. Article 132 is distinct from Article 131, which defines rape specifically, though the two carry similarly serious penalties under Russian law.
According to investigators, the man spotted the woman near a set of garages and outbuildings in December 2018, attacked her and raped her, then fled the scene. Investigators were unable to identify him at the time.
How investigators identified the suspect
The case was solved years later, after investigators gained the technical ability to enhance the quality of outdoor surveillance camera footage from the time of the attack. This allowed them to reconstruct the attacker's appearance and distinguishing features. Investigators said the suspect's gait matched that of the man recorded attacking the woman, which led them to his identity. The victim also identified him.
Gait analysis, which studies the distinctive way a person walks as captured on camera, is a recognized biometric technique that investigators increasingly rely on when a suspect's face is not clearly visible in video evidence. Nearly eight years passed between the assault and the identification of the suspect.
Russia's Investigative Committee
The Investigative Committee of Russia was created as an independent federal agency in 2011 and is the country's main body for investigating serious crimes, including murder and sexual offenses. It operates separately from the regular police force. Kostroma Region, where the case is being tried, lies in central Russia, northeast of Moscow.
Separate case in Kaliningrad
Lenta.ru also reported separately that a court in Kaliningrad Region ordered a man held in custody over the killing of a pregnant woman. Investigators said the man was tracked down through his scent.
