Man Admits Being ‘Peninsula Rapist’ in Attacks on Women
An East Palo Alto man has admitted to being the “Peninsula Rapist” responsible for a series of attacks on women in the south San Francisco Bay Area.
Romel Demetrius Reid pleaded guilty Friday to 19 felony counts, including five rapes, prosecutors said.
He faces a prison sentence of two life terms plus 56 years.
Reid was suspected in a series of sexual assaults in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Sunnyvale starting in 1995.
In January 1996, he led police on a high-speed chase, then escaped after abandoning his van. Investigators found Reid’s identification and a sweatshirt belonging to one of the victims inside the van. He was arrested two days later.
He was charged with 10 sexual assaults and 13 other crimes against 15 women.
Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 14. He could be eligible for parole in about 50 years, Deputy Dist. Atty. Hector Moreno said.
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