A man was arrested years after police say he repeatedly broke into women’s homes and raped them in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood and near the University of Maryland.
Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, of Arlington, was arrested Tuesday and charged in five home invasion rapes in Georgetown and one offense near UMD, from June 2008 through Aug. 2012, D.C. police said Wednesday.
The series of sexual assaults “shook our community" for years, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference. Investigators never gave up working with victims to try to find the attacker, she said.
He targeted young women near universities in the late-night, predawn hours, Smith said.
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Testing from the attacks revealed the same DNA profile, officials said. Genetic genealogy helped identify the suspect.
D.C. police charged Mercado with three counts of sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. said the victims were sexually assaulted in:
- June 2008
- July 2009
- February 2010
- August 2010
- August 2012
Police believe Mercado is responsible for dozens of sexual assault, burglary and voyeurism cases and there may be additional victims. Anyone with potentially relevant information or who may have been the victim of a related attack is asked to contact police.
For years, Georgetown students described a “Georgetown cuddler” and UMD students described a "College Park cuddler" who broke into women’s homes as they slept.
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Court documents in Mercado’s case describe a series of terrifying, violent sexual attacks.
MPD investigator Alexander MacBean said that while the terms "Georgetown cuddler" and "College Park cuddler" were widely used, it’s important to understand how violent the attacks were.
“This man was a predator, and his intent was not to cuddle these women; his intent was to rape them," he said.
Mercado appeared in court and was ordered held without bond. He faces a maximum of life in prison. It wasn't immediately clear if he has a lawyer. He's due in court Oct. 10.
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