Matthew Nilo, a New Jersey lawyer and suspect in numerous rapes in Boston, has pleaded not guilty to new charges in connection with sexually assaulting four women 15 years ago.
According to The Boston Globe, Nilo, 35, appeared at the Suffolk Superior Court Thursday afternoon for arraignment on seven new charges. The charges include one count each of rape and aggravated rape, three counts of assault to rape, and two counts of indecent assault and battery against a person aged 14 or over.
The attacks reportedly happened to women in Boston’s North End neighborhood between 2007 and 2008.
Nilo’s attorney, Joseph Cataldo, argued in court that his client is innocent and plans to unequivocally fight the charges.
“I think they’re trying to solve some unresolved cases, and I’m afraid that the government might be piling on, just trying to claim that Mr. Nilo committed these crimes,” he said.
“There’s a serious question about the way the evidence — the DNA — was obtained, and we most certainly will be challenging that because it was unconstitutional.”
Following his appearance in court, Nilo’s bail was set at $50,000 cash, which he posted shortly after. This is in addition to posting $500,000 bail for earlier charges. Nilo then left the courthouse while holding hands with his fiancée.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden told reporters that the recent allegations against Nilo align with a similar pattern observed in the Charlestown attacks he’s accused of.
“One of the victims was even attacked twice in just 11 days,” Hayden said. “The attacks occurred during a time when Matthew Nilo lived in the North End and coincide with the period of time of the attacks on other women in Charlestown.”
“Nothing can eliminate the terror experienced by these survivors. But at least now they have the knowledge that Mr. Nilo must answer the horrible [crimes] he’s alleged to have committed. We hope this provides some solace to survivors of these attacks.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Nilo was initially arrested in early June and charged with aggravated rape, kidnapping, assault with intent to rape, and indecent assault and battery. The attacks took place in the area of Terminal Street, officials said which runs through an industrial area of Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood.
Authorities identified the attorney after comparing DNA material from the crimes to commercial genealogy databases, which identified relatives who had submitted their DNA to learn about their ancestry.
Police later secretly seized a glass he used at a business gathering and extracted his DNA for testing, which allegedly matched the DNA from the sex cases.
At the time of the assaults, Boston cops warned the public that someone was offering women a ride home and then attacking them.
One woman who was assaulted said a man approached her in the early morning hours and offered a ride to help find her vehicle. He then threatened to kill her if she made noise and raped her near railroad tracks.
Another woman got into Nilo’s car believing it was a taxi. She alleged that the driver, armed with a knife, ordered her out of the vehicle and then raped her.
The third victim said she drove with the perpetrator before they exited the vehicle, at which point the man tackled her, held a gun to her back, and repeatedly raped her.
A fourth woman alleged that she was running when a man tackled her and sexually assaulted her. The assailant threatened her with a gun, but she was able to poke his eye and escape.
When questioned about the decision not to pursue a dangerousness hearing in order to keep Nilo in custody until the trial, Hayden said that bail is a way to make sure Nilo appears in court, adding that he no longer believes Nilo is a threat to the community.
“These are attacks that happened quite some time ago,” Hayden said. “At this point in time, we don’t believe that he poses a threat or danger to the community.”
Nilo’s next court date is scheduled for September 14. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Matthew Nilo stands during an appearance at Suffolk Superior Court, Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Boston. Nilo, a New Jersey lawyer already charged in connection with a series of sexual assaults in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood about 15 years ago, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new charges stemming from a different series of sexual assaults in another area of the city that occurred at roughly the same time. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)]
