crime

Authorities caught 71-year-old Stephen Gale after a three-decade-long search that ended in a car chase in Los Angeles.

Authorities on Friday arrested the man suspected of being responsible for an unsolved Framingham case dating back to 1989.

71-year-old Stephen Gale was arrested after a chase on the streets of Los Angeles.

Gale is accused of raping two store employees at gunpoint in 1989 at the Hit or Miss store on Route 9 in Framingham, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said. That’s when Gale allegedly entered the store and pointed a .357 Magnum pistol at the two female employees. Prosecutors say he made one victim take all the money out of the safe and forced the other to make a sign saying the store was open late. He then allegedly dragged both victims into separate rooms, where he sexually assaulted them with the gun to their heads. Gale then fled the scene, prosecutors say.

He is charged with four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery, Ryan said.

“After more than three decades, Gale’s attempts to evade justice appear to have come to an end,” the prosecutor said. “For the two women who were his victims in 1989, the wait for answers has been long and painful. While Mr. Gale has made significant efforts to conceal his identity, the efforts of law enforcement have been even more relentless.”

Gale had been on the run for nearly three decades, the statement said. His search became a nationwide effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Ryan said she was “grateful” for the help of the Framingham Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Marshal Service and “others across the country” who helped find and capture Gale.

Authorities identified Gale as a suspect in May after “persistent investigative work” resulted in a DNA match. Ryan said prosecutors and Framingham police worked with a forensic DNA testing center in 2022 to revive the unsolved case. Using DNA taken from the suspect’s family, authorities concluded Gale was responsible for the 1989 case.

“The commitment of everyone involved resulted in a unified response that led to the successful arrest of Stephen Gale,” said Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker. “This brings us one step closer to justice for the victims in this horrific case.”

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Victims Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673).