Georgia Man Arrested for Decades-Old Rapes in Queens
A man from Georgia was taken into custody this week for the first time in close to 30 years, accused of breaking into the homes of five women in Queens, holding them at gunpoint, and assaulting them while their children were just rooms away, according to authorities.
Michael Benjamin, 57, was arrested on Thursday morning following DNA evidence from a discarded cup that connected him to several violent rapes in southeast Queens between 1995 and 1997, as reported by prosecutors and law enforcement.
Benjamin was initially apprehended on September 22 while residing in Conyers, Georgia. Investigators collected his DNA from a cup he left at the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and found a match with DNA from another rape case, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
He was extradited to New York on Wednesday and faces charges including first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual assault, and first-degree robbery, according to prosecutors.
Going back to July 1995, Benjamin reportedly entered the home of a 24-year-old woman near 113th Street and 194th Street in St. Albans, covered her head with a sheet, and raped her. He fled with cash and jewelry, prosecutors noted.
In August 1996, he allegedly broke into another home at 140th Street and South Conduit Avenue around 2 a.m., putting a jacket over a 27-year-old woman’s head before raping her, sources said. The man then rifled through the house, stealing items while instructing the victim not to look at him.
In a third incident in September 1996, he allegedly assaulted a 21-year-old woman on her way home near 131st Street and Hook Creek Boulevard. He reportedly forced her into her home at gunpoint, turned off the lights, and raped her, threatening her husband and child, who were present during the assault.
Later, in February 1997, he allegedly entered another home with a gun and assaulted both a 21-year-old and a 33-year-old woman near 241st Avenue and 136th Street, authorities reported. They stated that he consumed food and drinks at the residence before escaping with cash and jewelry.
As he was escorted to court from a Bronx police station—the base for the Special Victims Division’s DNA cold case unit—Benjamin, bald and wearing glasses, insisted he was innocent. “I didn’t do this. I didn’t do any of this. What are the victims? I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do this. What are you talking about?” he shouted to reporters.
Benjamin is categorized as a Level 3 sex offender due to an attempted rape conviction in July 1990. At that time, he received a five-year suspended sentence for his crimes.
Since the incidents occurred, he moved to Georgia. In 2002, he was charged with five counts of rape as John Doe, and prosecutors noted that the statute of limitations for those charges had not expired.
His attorney, Joseph Amsel, argued that the recent legal actions violated the statute of limitations, emphasizing the fundamental unfairness of requiring someone to defend against accusations from so long ago: “Most, if not all, of this action appears to be well outside the applicable statute of limitations. And the fact is that he wholeheartedly denies the charges and looks forward to his day in court,” Amsel stated.
According to public records, Benjamin’s prior conviction for attempted rape classifies him as a Level 3 sex offender, and he has previously been charged with related crimes.
During his arraignment on a 17-count indictment in Queens Criminal Court, he was ordered held without bail. DA Katz expressed hope for justice: “After decades, this defendant will finally be charged with violently raping at least five women, some at gunpoint, in southeast Queens from 1995 to 1997. Decades have passed, but these cold cases have not been forgotten, and it is because of their courage. It’s never too late for justice.”
If convicted, Benjamin could face up to 25 years in prison. His next court date is scheduled for December 5th.
