Decades-Old Rape Of Quadriplegic Woman Leads Police To LA Man

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles man has been charged in connection with a cold case investigation into the rape of a quadriplegic woman in the Bay Area nearly 24 years ago.

According to the Concord Police Department, a man broke into the woman's apartment on Dec. 6, 2000, and forcibly sexually assaulted her. Detectives collected DNA evidence at the scene and entered it into a national database, but an investigation into potential leads proved unfruitful.

But in recent weeks, detectives with Concord's Special Victims Unit finally received a DNA match, which police said identified the suspect as Michael Lamonte Evans, 50, of Los Angeles, the Concord Police Department announced Wednesday.

Investigators secured an arrest warrant and learned Evans was already in custody on an unrelated case in Los Angeles County, officials said.

According to police, Evans was formally charged with forcible rape by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office and will soon be extradited to face the charges. He remains in custody in lieu of $1 million in bail.

"We are deeply saddened that the victim in this case passed away several years ago," Sergeant Chris Souza said. "We extend our gratitude to her friends and family, whose support and assistance was extremely important to this investigation."