Arrest made in 1994 Columbus rape, burglary case

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — A man has been arrested for his alleged role in a rape nearly 30 years ago.

According to Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, Anthony Shinaul, 53, of Columbus, was charged Wednesday with aggravated burglary, kidnapping, and three counts of rape.

A 20-year-old woman was raped in her Columbus home in July 1994, Tyack’s office said, but investigators were never able to identify a suspect.

In 2013, with Ohio’s 20-year statute of limitations for sex crimes approaching, prosecutors filed an indictment using a placeholder name and DNA profile created from evidence collected at the scene, Tyack said in a statement. This allowed the case to remain open until a suspect could be identified.

That indictment was amended this month when Shinaul’s DNA was allegedly matched to the profile on record.

“It’s been 30 years since this crime was committed, and we finally have the chance to bring the perpetrator to justice,” Anthony Pierson, deputy chief counsel for the prosecutor’s office, said in a press release. “I am thankful to our investigative team for using DNA technology to hold this defendant accountable for his crimes.”

Online court records do not yet list filings in this case.

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