Francisco Acevedo, 41, now accused of raping and strangling three women in a New York suburb starting 21 years ago was never even suspected until he submitted a DNA sample after a drunken-driving arrest last year.

A Yonkers, NY detective John Geiss says he finally solved the case after “nine long years” of looking at over 100 suspects in connection with the deaths of three women who were raped and strangled in 1989, 1991, and 1996. He said at a news conference Thursday that his department never gave up investigating these murders. The killings were linked to each other by DNA and other evidence, but Francisco Acevedo was never even a suspect until he submitted a DNA sample after a drunk driving arrest last year, apparently as part of an application for parole.

Two of his victims, Maria Ramos, 26, killed Feb. 5, 1989, and Tawana Hodges, 28, killed March 28, 1991, lived in the Bronx and the third Kimberley Moore, 30, killed May 24, 1996, lived in Westchester. All were found naked, bound at the hands and facing up. Geiss said the three killings constituted the last unsolved multiple slaying in his cold-case files, though he still has 28 other cases ranging back to 1986.

Acevedo, who was already imprisoned upstate on the DWI charge, apparently had no idea detective in Yonkers were finally closing in on him and seemed surprised when he was arrested in an upstate prison on the murder charges. “I didn’t think we’d see the day that we’d come to the point we’re at now,” said detective John, “He wasn’t very happy to see us.”

Acevedo was indicted Wednesday on six counts of murder, three of which also allege rape. He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole.

-article by Carlin DeGuerin Miller rewritten and adapted by admin-