Fiancee of attorney linked to three rapes through genetic genealogy stands by him in court
Boston police and the FBI allege Matthew Nilo attacked four women in Charlestown area back in 2007 and 2008
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The fiancee of a New Jersey lawyer seemingly stood by him as he appeared in court charged with a string of rapes in Massachusetts.
Attorney Matthew Nilo, 35, appeared in court in Hudson County for an extradition hearing with new fiancee Laura Griggin watching on.
Mr Nilo proposed to Ms Griffin just weeks before he was arrested for a string of alleged attacks, according to now-deleted social media posts, reported The New York Post.
Boston police and the FBI allege that Mr Nilo attacked four women in the Terminal Street area of Charlestown back in 2007 and 2008.
He was arrested at his home in Weehawken, New Jersey after investigators used genetic genealogy to link him to the attacks.
“Mr Nilo is looking forward to being taken back up to Massachusetts, he’ll be entering a plea of not guilty and he’s looking forward to fighting these charges and showing that he’s innocent,” his attorney Jeff Garrigan said.
Mr Nilo has been charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault and battery.
“We believe we have removed a dangerous threat from our community,” FBI Special Agent Joseph Bonavolonta told reporters as he announced the arrest.
And he added: “We certainly realize that identifying this individual does not ease their pain, nothing can, but hopefully it answers some questions.”
Mr Nilo was reportedly identified after his family members voluntarily sent DNA samples to a genealogy database, according to ABC New York. Authorities did not specify which genealogy website helped them track down Mr Nilo.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Nilo graduated from the University of San Francisco and was working as an attorney at a cyber insurance firm.