Man suspected in 2008 rape finally charged after 2020 review of untested rape kits
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Washington man has been charged in connection to a rape in a Minneapolis alley in 2008, after the case was part of a review in 2020 of rape kits that went untested for years.
Terry Wayne Johnson, 54, was charged this week via warrant with second-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection to the Feb. 15, 2008, rape of a woman. Johnson is currently incarcerated in Washington State for commercial sexual abuse of a minor and other charges, court documents state.
According to the criminal complaint, at about 12:57 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2008, Minneapolis police officers were on routine patrol near 9th Street East and Park Avenue South when they were flagged down by a motorist, a witness, who was flashing his headlights. The victim was also in the vehicle.
The witness told police he saw the victim near Park Avenue South and 36th Street East, noticing she was bleeding and needed help. He offered to bring her to the hospital. Charges said the victim told him she was attacked by a man, later identified as Johnson. She was crying and her upper lip and nose were swollen, while she also had blood on her face and sweater. She was then taken to the hospital.
Minneapolis rape case charged 12 years later after DNA evidence went untested for years
Hennepin County prosecutors have filed rape charges against a Minneapolis man more than a decade after an armed attack on two women. The case file shows critical DNA evidence sat untested for years. Now, one of those alleged victims is speaking out, sharing her story of torment and frustration with the criminal justice system.
At the hospital, the victim reported she was assaulted and raped by a man, charges said. She didn't know his name but provided a description of him. She told authorities she was at a friend of a friend's apartment, noting Johnson arrived after her. The assault happened in the alley of the apartment building after she decided to leave, charges state.
The victim said Johnson followed her out of the apartment and dragged her outside to the alley by her hair. She tried to get away, but he said, "Keep yelling, and I will kill you," charges said. He dragged her to the side of the garage. He told her, "You owe me" and ended up punching her in the face, telling her "I'm gonna kill you."
The punch knocked her unconscious and when she came to, she got away from Johnson and flagged down the car for help.
This case was reviewed in 2020 as part of the Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County Attorney's Office program to test previously untested sexual assault kits. The samples in the victim's kit were taken to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for DNA testing. The DNA profile matched Johnson, charges said.