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Stephen Paul Gale, 71, is charged with four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery of two women at the Hit or Miss store in Framingham in 1989, the Middlesex District Attorney said.
Gale is accused of breaking into the store on Route 9 on the morning of Dec. 27, 1989, police said. He pulled a .357 Magnum pistol on the women who worked there and forced them into the back of the store. He had one of the victims post a sign on the door that said the store would open late so he wouldn't be disturbed.
Gale made them empty the cash register and their pocketbooks into a bag and demanded they open the store's safe, the prosecutor said. He forced the women to strip naked and sent them to separate rooms, where he raped them while pressing his pistol against their heads, authorities continued.
After, when he walked to the front of the store, the women ran out of the back and found help at a nearby home.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press conference on Tuesday, May 14, that DNA found on the victims was put into the police's CODIS system in 2001, but investigators could not tie it to anyone. The prosecutor's office hired Parabon Nanolabs in 2022 to conduct a genealogy review of the genetic material, and technicians linked it to Gale through his relatives, Ryan added.
Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker thanked the victims for their bravery and his detectives and other agencies for dogged pursuit of justice in this case.
The US Marshals Service is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Gale's arrest. They released an artist's rendering of what they believe he looks like today.
Gale uses multiple aliases including Stephen Pisarcik, John Rossi, Paul Costa, Paul DeRosa, Paul DiCarli, Paul Joseph DeCarlo, Steve Miner, Paul Williams, and Paul Ptaszynski.
His last known addresses were in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He also has ties to Phoenix, Texas, Utah, and Florida.
Investigators ask anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to contact the Framingham Police Department at 508-532-5923. Tips can be called into the US Marshals Boston Tipline at 1-877-926-8332.
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