Inmate Confesses To Previously Unsolved 1991 Rape Case; Police Can't Charge Him
MACOMB COUNTY (WWJ) - After a sexual assault had gone unsolved for over two decades, Macomb County prosecutors say they finally have their man, but they're unable to charge him with the crime.
Recent DNA testing positively identified 51-year-old Roederick Hunter of Clinton Township as the man who raped a woman in her home back in 1991, but officials say too much time has passed in the case to bring charges against him.
Steve Fox from the Macomb County Prosecutors Cold Case Unit said that Hunter has admitted to the assault.
"We are unable at this time to move forward with prosecution on this particular matter," Fox said. "However, we are concerned and the reason we're coming forward now is because there are suspicions that additional matters may be out there, may still be pending, so we're really looking for the public's help."
Hunter, who is in prison on a separate rape conviction, is up for parole in 2025.
"At that time, the statute of limitations for the nature of this charge was six years, which means the statute of limitations expired in 1997," Fox said. "Certainly, cases from the mid-to-late 90s and from 2000s and beyond are still very much in-play."
Police are urging anyone with information about additional unreported cases to come forward.
