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Washington Pearson, 55, of Lynn faces charges of attempted murder, home invasion, felony breaking and entering in the daytime, larceny from a building, assault with intent to rape, strangulation, and armed robbery, the Suffolk County District Attorney said. If Pearson makes bail, he will be confined to his home with a GPS monitor, the judge also ruled.
A woman called 911 on Oct. 24 after she said a man busted down her front door armed with a large flathead screwdriver before he raped, strangled, and robbed her, authorities said. Officers found pry marks on the door where it looked like someone had forced their way inside.
Detectives found surveillance videos of a man who matched the attacker's description leaving the area just after the home invasion and identified Pearson. Pearson has a lengthy criminal record with more than 190 charges on it, many for violent crimes, the prosecutor's office said.
Investigators spread Pearson's photo to news outlets and other police departments and tracked him down to Norfolk, Va., late last month. US Marshal Service agents arrested him on Nov. 30 and returned him to Boston, authorities said.
Pearson didn't plan on coming back. He told officers that he was looking to buy a gun so he could commit suicide by cop, the prosecutors said. He considered attacking officers with the screwdriver to die that way but thought better of it when he noticed how outnumbered he was, he told authorities.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the alleged victim provided critical information in Pearson's capture.
“This is an extremely traumatic experience for the victim and we’re grateful for the information she was able to share with police in order to help identify this individual and get him into custody," Hayden said. "His actions at the scene and his statements to police make clear the dangers he poses to the public."
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