Man found guilty of rape in Framingham cold case

“The survivors in this case demonstrated tremendous courage for more than three decades,” Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to them.”

In May 2024, Ryan’s office identified Gale as a suspect after forensic genetic genealogy linked him to the case, the Globe reported. Officials then released a police sketch of Gale from 1990, a photo of him from 1995, and an age-progressed image of what Gale might look like at age 71.

Three months later, in August, Gale was captured in Los Angeles after an hourlong chase through the city, where he had been living on a yacht named “Dior,” aattorney’s office dropped Gale’s case, and he was extradited to Massachusetts.

“These older cases present substantial challenges and require relentless investigative work and dedicated resources,” Ryan said in the statement. “For those still waiting for answers, our commitment remains clear: we will revisit the past, pursue every lead, and continue to seek answers.”

On Dec. 27, 1989, two women, ages 18 and 29, were opening up the Route 9 clothing store when Gale walked in and said he wanted to buy some clothes, the statement said. He then pulled out a gun and forced the women into the back of the store.

Gale ordered one of the women to empty a locked safe, the cash register, and her purse into a bag. He instructed the other to write a note saying the store would open late, tape it to the front door, and lock the entrance, officials said.

He then forced the women into separate rooms, demanded they remove their clothing, and sexually assaulted them at gunpoint, according to the statement. When they believed Gale had left the store, the women escaped through a back door and ran through nearby yards until they reached a home and called for help.

“Today’s guilty verdict, hopefully, brings some peace to the two survivors who collaborated with law enforcement, persevered and did not waiver in their belief that we would reach this day,” Ryan said in the statement. “When a crime occurs here we do not forget and we do not give up.”

Investigators developed a DNA profile from evidence collected at the scene and uploaded it to a national database in 2001, the Globe reported. With the help of a genetic genealogy company, police in 2022 collected DNA samples from known members of Gale’s family and identified him as the previously unidentified suspect.

When Ryan announced Gale as a suspect, officials said he was last known to be living in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and may also have ties to Phoenix, Texas, Utah, and Florida, the report said. He has used numerous aliases, including Stephen Pisarcik, John Rossi, Paul Costa, Paul DeRosa, Paul DiCarli, Paul Joseph DeCarlo, Steve Miner, Paul Williams, and Paul Ptaszynski.

“Despite all of the effort devoted to this case when it occurred, the technology simply did not exist to identify the perpetrator,” Ryan said. “Those advances in technology, coupled with the persistence of all involved brought us to today.”

Lila Hempel-Edgers can be reached at lila.hempeledgers@globe.com. @lila_hempel_edgers.