Man accused of raping 2 women at store in 1989 held without bail
Stephen Paul Gale
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Massachusetts (WBZ) — A man has been arraigned on charges he raped two women inside a Framingham clothing store back in 1989. Prosecutors say Stephen Paul Gale is the suspect who was once nicknamed the “Boston Strip Mall Rapist.”
On Monday in Middlesex Superior Court, Gale pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault, kidnapping and armed robbery. The judge ordered him held without bail.
Two women held at gunpoint
Gale, who is now 71, allegedly broke into the Hit or Miss store and raped two female employees at gunpoint.
Investigators say on the morning of December 27, 1989, Gale entered the store on Route 9, showed a .357 Magnum handgun and forced the two women to the back of the store.
He allegedly made one victim empty the money from a locked safe, the store’s register and her pocketbook. Investigators said he made the second victim lock the doors and put a sign on the front door saying the store would open late.
Suspect arrested after chase in California
Police used DNA to identify Gale as the alleged attacker, but they didn’t know where he was until last August. U.S. Marshals found him living on a million-dollar yacht off the coast of Los Angeles.
Investigators said Gale had at least eight aliases. When police moved in to arrest him, they say Gale led officers on a long chase. Gale was arrested after an 82-minute pursuit that covered approximately 40 miles.
“It is our commitment that we do not forget, and we do not give up,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said. “When we are able to bring someone to justice after a long time it really is the result of hundreds and hundreds of hours and as the chief said people who never gave up.”
The case was investigated by the Middlesex DA, Framingham police, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Marshals and the FBI.
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