Man convicted of raping Fenway woman after following her home from the supermarket

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted Michael Purpura, 38, of Westwood on rape and strangulation charges for an attack in September of 2014, in which he followed a woman home to her Queensberry Street apartment from the Fenway Star Market, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Purpura will be sentenced next month on charges that also include larceny over $250 and unarmed burglary, the DA's office reports.

According to the DA's office:

Purpura followed the victim, a woman in her 20s, home after she left the Star Market on Kilmarnock Street on the night of Sept. 14, 2015, into the morning of Sept. 15. Martin proved that Purpura entered her apartment building and ambushed her as she stepped into her apartment. The evidence showed that he assaulted her, forced her to shower, and stole her phone.

Surveillance cameras in the area provided key parts of the evidence against Purpura - which led investigators to the Star Market:

Witnesses who worked at the market testified that the person shown in that video footage had recently provided his first name and email address in order to take part in online surveys. A search of related records led investigators to a store transaction in which this unknown person used a credit card. The credit card was traced to Purpura, who closely resembled the man in the store surveillance footage.

Boston Police obtained a warrant for Purpura’s arrest, and on Sept. 19 he surrendered himself to Medford Police. Investigators later obtained a DNA sample from him, which provided a forensic link to evidence from the sexual assault.