(WWJ) A West Bloomfield Township man has been charged with sexually assaulting two women in two states more than two decades years ago.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard announced Tuesday that Kurt Alan Rillema, who owns a construction company, has been arraigned on charges for a rape at Oakland Township golf course in 1999, while also facing charges for a second rape at a golf course at Penn State University.
In both cases, Bouchard said investigators used DNA evidence to pinpoint Rillema at the perpetrator.
“Victims of violent crimes, like rape, can never forget that terrible moment,” Bouchard said, in a statement. “It is incumbent on us to never give up on finding perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice. With new technology and investigative capabilities, sometimes we can close cases that have been open for years if not decades. That is what happened in this case. We will never give up.”
Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit and police from Penn State and State College, Pa., worked the case, which led to Rillema’s arrest on Monday in Oakland County.
While many years had passed, Sheriff Bouchard explained the investigation picked up steam in the summer of 2021.
"The investigators were able to obtain a reference DNA sample, which was positively matched by the lab to be the suspect in both cases," the sheriff told WWJ's Ryan Marshall and other reporters at a news conference. "Meaning 100% corroborative evidence that this person was the suspect..."
The first crime was committed. Sept. 6, 1999, at the Twin Lakes Golf Club. Oakland Township, according to investigators.
The 22-year-old victim told deputies she was working at a food stand when an unknown man came through the back employee door, demanded she take off her clothes and then raped her.
Despite collecting DNA evidence of the crime, investigators could not identify a suspect at that time.
Less than a year later, on July 27, 2000, a 19-year-old woman was jogging on a PSU golf course when a man confronted her, held a knife to her neck and raped her. Again, DNA evidence was collected but no suspect was identified.
Never giving up, however, investigators were eventually able to crack both cases using some new technology.
The OCSO said evidence from the Oakland County case was sent to Parabon Nanolabs, based in Reston, Va., for genetic genealogy testing.
After what officials characterized as "exhaustive research" — which included tracing genealogy as far back as the 1700s — investigators were able to narrow possible suspects down to one of three brothers.
After further investigation, the PCSO said detectives concluded that Rillema was the "prime suspect."
A test of a reference sample of DNA then confirmed a match to the DNA sample in both cases, the sheriff office said.
Rillema was arraigned in 52-3rd Division District Court in Rochester Hills on first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges for the assault, and was ordered held without bond.
In Oakland County he faces up to life in prison on the first charge, and 15 years on the second.
Additionally, in Pennsylvania Rillema is charged with rape by forcible compulsion, which carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
It was not immediately clear when he would be extradited to Penn. to face those charges.
Presently, Rillema's next court appearance in Oakland County, a probable cause conference, is set for April 27 before Judge Lisa Asadoorian.
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