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Linked to '81 rape
By John J. Hopkins Times
An Allendale Road man was arrested in Buffalo on Monday after he was linked to a series of rapes and murders believed to have been committed over the past 20 years by the so-called "Bike Path Rapist."
Altemio Sanchez, 48, was taken into custody on Monday morning after he left his job at Luvato Buffalo, the former American Brass facility located on Military Road.
Investigators say that DNA evidence has linked Sanchez to five rapes and three homicides. There have been at least 14 rapes and three homicides that were believed to have been committed by the serial criminal since 1986.
"The monster known as the Bike Path Rapist has been captured," Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard said at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Erie County Emergency Services Department.
Officials say that three separate investigative teams all identified the same person within hours of each other.
"I don't know if we've ever seen anything like that," Howard added.
A major break occurred when Sanchez's uncle provided new information that helped link Sanchez to a "cold case" rape that occurred in Buffalo's Delaware Park in 1981, five years before what was thought to be the first attack believed to have been committed by the Bike Path Rapist.
The new information set the wheels in motion to link Sanchez to the homicides and several of the rapes.
Sanchez was charged Tuesday with the 1994 murder of 32-year-old Majane Mazur in Buffalo. He is also expected to be charged with the 1990 murder of Linda Yalem, a 22-yearold University at Buffalo student, and the September 2006 Clarence bike path murder of Joan Diver, 45.
Officials say that Sanchez was a suspect in Yalem's murder, but investigators could not link evidence to him. A co-worker at American Brass had told police that he observed Sanchez in Ellicott Creek Park, where Yalem was killed.
It wasn't until the last 10 days that the three investigating groups were able to make strong links between the crimes and Sanchez.
"The forensic world is a lot different than it was 16 years ago," said Amherst Chief of Police John Moslow.
In addition to the new information from his uncle and new DNA evidence, Sanchez's "use of patronizing prostitutes" helped crack the case. Sanchez has two prior arrests, in 1991 and 1999, both for allegedly patronizing a prostitute.
Investigators began to "tail" Sanchez, and obtained a sample of his DNA from utensils he used while dining at a Williamsville restaurant.
Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark said the arrest was possible because of a mix of old and new police techniques.
"It was old-fashioned police work that brought everything together," said Clark. "DNA evidence sealed the deal."
Appearing in Erie County Court on Tuesday, Sanchez pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is being held without bail.
Sanchez was represented in court by defense attorney Andrew LoTempio, who once represented Cheektowaga's so-called "Deer Lady," Anita Depczynski, when she faced charges of violating a New York State ban on feeding whitetailed deer.
LoTempio is believed to be seeking a change in venue and will question how evidence was obtained and handled.
Law enforcement officials would not describe how they directly identified Sanchez as the Bike Path Rapist, but said that a DNA sample recently obtained was a 100 percent match with evidence gathered from the homicides.
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