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Uber driver charged with raping passenger to be charged for rapes dating to 2006 on Esplanade, in South Boston
By adamg on Tue, 07/14/2015 - 2:57pm
Alejandro Done, 46, of the South End, will face charges for at least six rapes and sexual assaults dating to 2006 - but investigators say they are looking at his connection to additional attacks.
Done was indicted recently for allegedly raping an Uber passenger in Cambridge after picking her up on Dec. 6 on Tremont Street in Boston.
A judge ordered him to supply a DNA sample. Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said today that State Police criminalists got a match for that from samples from four of five attacks on the Esplanade, Moakley Park and Preble Circle.
Conley called him a violent sexual predator who went after women walking alone late at night on summer weekends.
Conley said Done does not appear to have a prior criminal record.
In addition to the Cambridge rape, authorities have linked him to attacks on July 29, 2006 in Moakley Park, June 16, 2007 on the Esplanade, July 29, 2007 on the Esplanade, July 13, 2009 on the Esplanade and July 13, 2010 near Preble Circle.
At a press conference on the Esplanade today, authorities did not release Done's photo, but said they might after he is arraigned on the Boston charges, possibly tomorrow.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Looks like...
he's done.
Before anyone attacks Uber,
Before anyone attacks Uber, he didn't have a criminal record, and Uber does not have precog abilities to determine what he did before hiring him.
Uber stockholder spotted.
.
Uber isn't public, bro.
Uber isn't public, bro.
I don't blame Uber
There isn't anything Uber could have done to prevent this if he didn't have a criminal record. That said, the lower the barrier to entry, the more likely it is for someone malicious to get involved. With normal Taxis you need to get a special license, deal with buying/renting a medallion, etc. Someone who is looking to do something bad might find it to be too time consuming/expensive to go though the process. With Uber (and similar) it's quicker and cheaper to get into a position to take advantage of someone on the pretense of giving them lift.
It's the same theory with guns -- no waiting period and someone who looses control can quickly be in a position to shoot someone. With a long waiting period the person has a chance to cool down or will not bother with a gun at all.
Safety through onerous and
Safety through onerous and overly burdensome bureaucracy. Sounds like a basis for solid governing!
I think we are all missing
I think we are all missing the bigger picture here, this guy was caught BECAUSE he was an Uber driver. If he had never been one, he may have kept attacking people in parks and not been caught.
He was stupid enough to attack someone in a way where it was completely traceable to him.
The women who were victimized
are of paramount importance here. Yet some people on this page, and elsewhere, worry about Uber's reputation.
Do we have your permission
to both care about the victims and to worry about Uber's reputation? You'll be surprised, apparently, to learn that some people can do more than one thing.
Fun with Google Department !
Travis Kalanick misogynist!
Does your finger hurt when
Does your finger hurt when you wag it that hard?
I think the point is that even as I write this (6:10 pm), several comments concerning Uber's rep have been published here, vs only one mentioning any concerns of victims or potential victims.
A swift highjacking, & noticeably devoid of compassion. But you want us to know that you're better, because you can walk & chew gum?
I'm know I'm not alone is celebrating this monster's arrest & detention. Thanks, BPD, victims who felt able to talk, & whomever else it took to accomplish this.
What would you prefer people write?
Would a dozen comments along the lines of "I feel horrible for the victim" or "Thank you BPD" make you feel any better? The story is sickening. No one is defending the perp. There isn't much that can be said other then hopefully the guy goes to jail forever and the women involved get whatever help and support they need. The police did their job though it's possible they missed something that could have caught the guy years ago.
The crime brings up a few notable points about Uber. Discussing Uber doesn't devalue the victim or support the accused.
The person is implying they
The person is implying they don't support über. The only finger waggin I ever see is from all the judges who let career criminals go at the wag of a finger.
You worry about Uber's
You worry about Uber's reputation... why? How odd. On my long list of worries, Uber's reputation certainly doesn't make the cut!
What Reputation?
It's a strange sucky leech of a company that is getting kicked out of France and is finding plenty of other adversaries.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/europe/france-paris-uberpop-protests/
http://recode.net/2015/07/14/uber-could-have-to-pay-an-additional-209-mi...
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article2714...
https://www.techinasia.com/ubers-biggest-threat-alibabasoftbank-alliance/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/07/13/russell-brand-trews-video-ube...
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2015/07/12/Surveillance-S...
Rhea Becker, I agree 100%.
Rhea Becker, I agree 100%.
I'll weigh in
I'm not an Uber booster, but the way the article is entitled, it looks like somehow the fact that this guy drove for Uber is an issue. The fact is, he is a serial sexual predator whose reign of terror seems to predate Uber's arrival in Boston.
The guy's scum. There is no question about that (aside from the pesky part where it has to be proven in a court of law.) The connection to Uber- that's a point where people might have an issue.
Of course, there is something in this story that leads to a pet peeve of mine, but you have a point, the lead in this is that the guy who terrorized these women, and by creating a climate of fear a lot more women, is finally going to be called upon to account for his (alleged) crimes.
Uber provides opportunity for criminals
should be the takeaway. Minimal screening and no interview process by the non-employer (Uber's contention) puts people in the cars of strangers. Remember one of the police rules to people to avoid getting abducted? Yeah, don't get in their vehicle. That's exactly what Uber passengers do, so criminals are drawn to Uber driver jobs like pedophiles are drawn to jobs and activities with children. The difference is that people are watching over those working with children and nobody's watching the Uber drivers, except perhaps the customers via bad reviews, until a driver switches to a new identity.
You seem to be forgetting
That Uber is an alternative to taxis.
From the moment you get into an Uber, you know far more about your driver than you would if it were a medallion taxi.
This creep could have rented a medallion taxi for the evening just as easily, and if he had he probably would have gotten away with it.
Uber is the reason he was caught, not the reason he was a rapist.
Rent a medallion taxi with no ID?
How is it easier to get away with crimes by renting a cab? Do they just give cabs out to anyone without any ID and assume it will be returned and undamaged? Are cab rentals done over computer with no human interaction? I'm not buying your assertion.
Guy with a cab
rents it out to his buddy. "Off the books" of course.
When I get into an Uber; I
When I get into an Uber; I know the make and model of a vehicle, the license plate, as well as the name of the driver and a picture of he/she on my phone.
Before Uber, I have been in cabs where the picture on the ID is not the same person behind the wheel.
Good point
If Uber hadn't provided this guy with the opportunity to attack women, he wouldn't have attacked anyone .... except the 5 previous victims unconnected to Uber.
As someone has noted, the reason why he was caught was Uber's tracking. So I think you have it quite backwards.
esplanade attacker statute of limitations?
I know there is none with murders , can he still be charged with these older attacks? I know some priests beat jail time because the clock was ticking and charges couldn't be filed years after the abuse.
No
A simple google search will tell you the statute of limitations in MA for rape and sexual assault is 15 years.
There shouldn't be a statute
There shouldn't be a statute on rape/sexual assault.
If he leaves the state for any amount of time.....
the time limit stops for the amount of time he leaves.
Sexual assaults involving children have a longer time frame as well (27 years)
Here he is on Huff Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/ex-uber-driver-in-boston-_n_779...