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Cristian Josue Arteaga, 35, formerly of Hyattsville, was indicted on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed after investigators tied him to the 2012 attack of a woman walking home from the Ft. Totten Metro station, the US Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, Feb. 27.
The case had gone cold for over a decade until a DNA hit in late 2023 connected Arteaga to the crime, leading to his extradition to DC in January 2025, officials said.
Authorities say Arteaga attacked the victim around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2012, as she walked home from work after leaving the Metro station.
He approached her, prosecutors say, asked for the time, then pulled a handgun, demanding money, and made a crude sexual demand while pointing the gun in her face.
Arteaga then allegedly shoved her into a neighbor’s carport and raped her multiple times at gunpoint.
After the attack, Arteaga threatened to kill the victim if she reported it, causing her to wait until the following morning to go to the police.
A rape kit and DNA evidence were collected, but the case stalled after no matches were found in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
That changed on Dec. 19, 2023, when Texas authorities reported a CODIS match between Arteaga and the unknown male profile from the 2012 assault, prosecutors said.
Detectives traveled to Texas, obtained a new DNA sample from Arteaga, and confirmed the match.
Arteaga has been in custody since his arrest and now faces life in prison without the possibility of release if convicted. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
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