A Queens mystery attacker from the 1990s has been nabbed in Georgia, charged with raping five woman — including one he violated twice — during a year-long spree in which he broke into the homes of his sleeping victims and covered their faces with a pillow or sheet, police sources said.
The suspect, Michael Benjamin, 57, was flown to the city Thursday morning and is expected to be arraigned in Queens state Supreme Court by the end of the day.
His DNA, from one of the crime scenes, was pre-indicted years ago — a move by prosecutors to prevent the statute of limitations from expiring — until police could figure out who he is.
That break came in 2024, when a fingerprint from one of the crime scenes was retested using technology not available at the time of the attacks, sources said.
The print belonged to Michael Benjamin, according to sources.
Police were then able to obtain his DNA in Georgia, where he has been living, sources said.
On Aug. 1, sources said, Benjamin was picked up in Georgia by the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office.
The Daily News on Aug. 10, 1992, reported that the spree — centered in Laurelton, Queens — started the previous August. The rapist always would strike between 1:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., getting into each victim’s home through a window.
The victims — ranging from age 21 to 42 — were also robbed of money and other valuables. In some cases, police said at the time, the attacker tied the victims’ hands and held a weapon of sorts to their necks.
The last victim, 41 at the time, was raped on Aug. 7, 1992 — nearly a year after she was the attacker’s first victim, on Aug. 22, 1991.
“I told you I’d be back,” the man told her chillingly after the second rape, she told police, The News reported.
New York Daily News
An August 10, 1992 Daily News report on the Queens serial rapist. (New York Daily News)
The case was investigated by the NYPD Special Victims Unit detectives assigned to cold cases involving DNA.
A month before the alleged rape spree, Benjamin was convicted of attempted rape for a July 1990 incident, and got five years probation.
He is a registered level three sex offender, according to New York State records.
Originally Published: October 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM EDT