Philadelphia rape suspect returned from Wisconsin
PHILADELPHIA - A man convicted in Wisconsin of sexually assaulting a woman he met online has been returned to his native Philadelphia to face charges in a pair of rapes in a city park.
Philadelphia police said Tuesday they've charged 39-year-old Robert Palen in the August 2010 and August 2011 Pennypack Park attacks.
The arrest closes an investigation revived in the spring when DNA from Philadelphia matched samples collected in the Wisconsin case.
Lt. Anthony McFadden called Palen a brutal individual.
He says detectives matched key details of the 2010 and 2011 rapes and work up a sketch of the suspect.
McFadden says they also suspected Palen in a July 2010 rape. The victim in that case has since died.
Palen's jailed in lieu of 10 percent of $10 million bail.