A former Los Angeles police officer has been convicted of rape after DNA linked him to the 2015 crime, authorities say.
William Rodriguez, 38, was found guilty of raping a woman while off-duty in 2015, KTLA reported June 22. Rodriguez was arrested in 2019 on multiple sex charges after law enforcement authorities received a “cold hit” on his DNA through the Combined DNA Index System, better known as CODIS for the 2015 crime, a press release from the LAPD stated at the time.
William Rodriguez was found guilty of one count of forcible rape. He is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 10. https://t.co/5JT5yLb1qc
— KCAL News (@kcalnews) June 22, 2023
Authorities began investigating Rodriguez when a woman came forward to accuse the ten-year police veteran of rape in 2018. While investigating that incident, officials linked Rodriguez to the 2015 rape when his DNA appeared in the CODIS system. In that incident, Rodriguez reportedly drove the victim to an undisclosed location and raped her, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, cited by KTLA.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to both counts of rape during his initial court appearance almost 4 years ago, the outlet stated. Jurors overseeing Rodriguez’s case deliberated for one and a half hours before finding the former LAPD officer guilty of the 2015 rape, but not guilty of the alleged attack in 2018 that spawned the investigation, the outlet reported.
District Attorney George Gascón praised both women for coming forward, taking comfort that “justice has been served for one of the victims of a heinous crime committed by a police officer who was entrusted with protecting and serving our community.” (RELATED: Former Philadelphia Homicide Detective Facing Sexual Assault Allegations From Murder Victims’ Families)
Though Rodriguez has been convicted for the 2015 crime, he is not scheduled to be sentenced until August 10.