16-Year-Old Faces Alleged Rapist, Murder Suspect In Court
Accused Rapist Is Suspect In Boca Raton Nanny's Murder
POSTED: Tuesday, January 31, 2006
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A girl was in court Tuesday to face the man who is charged with raping her -- a man who is also accused in the rape of another woman and the murder of a Boca Raton nanny.
The girl, who is now 16, was 14 years old at the time of the alleged rape. She said she had met Jerry Wiggins in 2003, when they lived in the same apartment complex in Coral Springs. She said Wiggins took her to an apartment where he overpowered her and raped her seven times throughout the night.
The teen, who cried throughout her testimony, said that when Wiggins was preparing to leave for work the next day, she was able to escape. She said she immediately went home, told her mother what happened, and called police.
Wiggins was arrested last January in the rape of a Charlotte, N.C., woman. The woman picked Wiggins, whom she knew as "Jay," out of a lineup.
Investigators said DNA from the Charlotte rape matched DNA in the murder of nanny Monica Rivera-Veldizen. She disappeared from a Boca Raton Publix on West Palmetto Park Road Jan. 2, 2004. Her body was found three days later in some bushes a short distance from the home where she was living and working.
The DNA from the North Carolina rape also matched DNA in the rape of the Coral Springs girl.
Police said Wiggins was on the run after the alleged Coral Springs rape because when the girl called, she gave police the wrong apartment number. By the time they figured out they had the wrong address, Wiggins took off before officers arrived at the apartment.
Previous Stories: - January 30, 2006: Nanny Murder Suspect's Rape Trial Begins
- May 31, 2005: Nanny Murder Suspect Ruled Competent For Rape Trial
- March 30, 2005: Nanny Murder Suspect In Court On Unrelated Rape Charge
- March 29, 2005: Man Accused Of Murder To Be Tried In 14-Year-Old's Rape
- March 29, 2005: Public Asked To Help In Nanny Murder Case
- January 21, 2005: North Carolina Police Holding Suspect In Nanny's Murder
- March 31, 2004: Possible New Clue In Nanny's Murder
- March 17, 2004: Man On Tape Identified In Nanny Murder Case
- February 23, 2004: Deputies Following 'Credible' Leads In Nanny's Murder
- January 14, 2004: Surveillance Photos Released In Nanny Murder Case
- January 8, 2004: Detectives: Serial Killer May Have Murdered Nanny
- January 8, 2004: Nanny Murder: FBI Sends Profiler
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