The convictions are part of an ongoing effort involving the Durham Police Department and the Durham DA's Office to close cases in which sexual assault evidence kits were not previously tested.
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More than a dozen people have been charged by the Durham Police Department's Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. With Monday's convictions, seven of those suspects have now been convicted in connection with 10 assaults dating to 2005.
"The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is an example of excellent coordination between Durham law enforcement and the Durham DA's Office to hold people accountable for these violent offenses, even years after the fact," said Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry. "I'm heartened that, after years of waiting, the survivors in both of these cases were able to see their attackers identified and receive some closure. Durham is a leader in North Carolina in working to address its sexual assault kit backlog. We thank our partners at the Durham Police Department for their hard work and dedication. I hope these swift convictions send a message to all survivors of sexual assault in our community that together we are taking these cases extremely seriously."
Carlos Dominguez-Aguiar, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree burglary for breaking into the victim's home on May 31, 2015, and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint. He was charged in August 2021 after a sexual assault evidence kit yielded a hit from the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
On Monday, he was sentenced to a minimum of 192 months to a maximum of 291 months in prison, followed by 10 years of satellite-based monitoring. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and to never have contact with the victim.
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Timothy Rorie, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree rape, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of sexual battery for breaking into a woman's victim's home on September 8, 2005, and sexually assaulting her.
He was charged in this case in February after saliva collected from the victim's body yielded a CODIS hit. On Monday, he was sentenced to a minimum of 151 months to a maximum of 191 months in prison, followed by 10 years of satellite-based monitoring. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and to never have contact with the victim's family.
The victim died shortly after Rorie was charged, the Durham DA's Office said it moved forward with the case based on forensic evidence developed through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
"Law enforcement in Durham has been on the front lines of using DNA to solve cold cases," said Attorney General Josh Stein. "I applaud District Attorney Deberry and her team and the Durham Police Department Cold Case Unit for their work to convict seven defendants in connection with 10 assaults so far. I also want to recognize and thank the scientists whose work made these convictions possible. DNA is a powerful tool that helps us to achieve our goals of making our communities safer and getting justice for victims."
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