'Nor-Cal Rapist' Arrest: Benicia Police Opening Cold Cases

BENICIA, CA –The arrest of accused serial rapist and Benicia resident, Roy Waller, 58, suspected of attacking and terrorizing multiple women throughout the region from 1991 to 2006, is leading the Benicia Police Department to re-investigate old cases to see if he was the culprit involved, authorities said today.

"In the light of new developments and information just released by Sacramento Police Department, we are looking into our past cases," the department said. "We learned many details today with the rest of the public during the press conference, and we are working diligently to ensure justice to any victims, if any, in the city, and will keep everyone updated."

Waller, allegedly the so-called "Nor-Cal Rapist," worked for 25 years at the University of California, Berkeley and was arrested Thursday in Berkeley on suspicion of sexually assaulting 10 women in at least six counties, including Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Contra Costa, Butte and Sacramento, between 1991 and 2006.

Law enforcement agencies and district attorneys from the counties announced Waller's arrest at a news conference in Sacramento this morning, saying that DNA evidence linked him to a sexual assault that occurred in October 2006 in Sacramento.

Waller is to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Sacramento County Superior Court on 12 felony charges, some of which carry life-prison terms, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said. He is in
main Sacramento County Jail on no bail status.

The first assaults happened in Rohnert Park in 1991 and in Sonoma in 1992. Others occurred in Martinez in 1996, in Vallejo in 1992 and in Davis in 1997 and 2000. The most recent was in Sacramento in 2006, law enforcement officials said at the new conference.

Waller allegedly entered homes late at night, overcame or bound women and committed repeated sexual assaults, law enforcement officials said. He ransacked homes and took some of the property or took the victims to an ATM machine to get cash, officials said.

Law enforcement officials described the 27-year investigation as complicated. "The answer has always been in the DNA," Schubert said.

UC Berkeley officials released a statement following the arrest, saying that "Waller has worked in our Environment, Health & Safety office since 1992 as a Safety Specialist. The duties include managing programs to help ensure safety and training regarding the use of equipment and machinery including forklifts, aerial lifts, respirators."

Anyone with information on the investigation or Waller, or a possible victim, is encouraged to call the tip line at 916-264-5471.

• RELATED COVERAGE: Accused 'NorCal Rapist' Arrested At UC Berkeley

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--Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this post/Image via Sacramento Police Department