Police say they used DNA to make an arrest in a sexual assault in New Haven in 2013 after the investigation went cold for years.
The incident was reported at a house party on July 5, 2013, when a woman told authorities she was sexually assaulted by a man, according to the New Haven Police Department.
Police said the case went unsolved and remained “dormant” for years until authorities were alerted to a DNA hit. The DNA match linked the incident in New Haven to a sexual assault reported in Waterbury in 2021, according to police.
A man arrested in the 2021 assault, 36-year-old Moses Watkis of Waterbury, was then identified as a suspect in the New Haven case, police said.
New Haven police Det. Samantha Romano of the Special Victim’s Unit and Sgt. Cherelle Carr were able to obtain a warrant for Watkis’ arrest, according to police. He was charged on Jan. 30 with first-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint.
Watkis remains held on a $750,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court next Wednesday.
According to court records, Watkis was arrested by the Waterbury Police Department in December 2022 and charged with first-degree sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty, with the case being marked down for a jury trial, court records show.
Watkis was scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday.