Peoria State’s Attorney believes more victims may be out there of alleged serial rapist

PEORIA (25 News Now) - Dating as far back as 1999, Peoria State’s Attorney believes serial rapes have been occurring in the area.

The noted cases of assault occurred in 1999, 2004, 2010, 2016 and 2021. Initially, they were connected to one another because of the years between them, age of the victims and that they occurred in different areas of the community.

State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos credits Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah Shelby and Peoria Police Detecitve Christina Chavez with finding the evidence to put the puzzle pieces together. DNA evidence collected from victims connected the cases to Demarquis Turner, who is charged in three of those sexual assaults. He pleaded not guilty and is currently held on a $1.2 million bond.

“We finally got to the point where we could make the links we needed to, legally, that would stand up in court for proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hoos said.

However, Hoos thinks more victims are out there to fill in the gaps. She believes the consistency of the assaults means there should be more of them, instead of one every five or six years.

“We have five incidents, I would be shocked that those are the only five,” Hoos said.

The charges stem from incidents that occurred in Sept. 2004, March 2010, and Nov. 2016. All three allege Turner used force to sexually penetrate three individuals. The exact ages of the victims could not be shared at this time, but court records show one of the victims was under 18 at the time of the assault.

The 1999 and 2021 cases cannot go to court for various reasons. However, prosecutors plan to introduce the evidence of those cases as to establish a pattern of sexual assault. To do so still requires approval by a judge.

The State’s Attorney is moving forward with the three charges, the next court date is set for Oct. 6. If someone is unsure or believes they may be a victim of serial rape, they are encouraged to contact the investigator within the State’s Attorney office.

“The main thing is we wanted to get this message out that we think there are probably other victims,” Hoos said. “If you have not talked about what happened to you for a number of reasons we would encourage you to come forward.”

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