BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2014—A former Dorchester resident will serve up to two decades in state prison for raping a woman more than 20 years ago in a case that might have gone unsolved if not for a recent DNA match linking him to the crime, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

TERRY ABERCROMBIE (D.O.B. 9/3/62) pleaded guilty to aggravated rape just as his trial on that charge was set to begin. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke sentenced him to a term of 18 to 20 years in state prison.

“Because police, prosecutors, criminalists, and victim advocates worked so closely, we were able to put forth a case so strong that the defendant made a full admission of his guilt,” Conley said. “Technology helped us in this case, but the real credit goes to the men and women who were able to speak for this victim and hold a violent offender accountable.”

By pleading guilty, Abercrombie admitted that he approached the victim, who was then 53 years old, as she walked home from the Savin Hill MBTA station on the evening of Oct. 30, 1992. Abercrombie admitted that he pulled her into a driveway off of Cushing Avenue, stole a small amount of cash from her, and raped her before running away.

The woman screamed. A nearby stranger chased the assailant but lost sight of him after several blocks.

The victim was treated first at St. Margaret’s Hospital and then at Boston City Hospital, where a rape kit was performed. Evidence from that kit was maintained for years by Boston Police and uploaded into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, in 2006 as part of a program to solve cold cases with DNA evidence.

Six years later, in 2012, CODIS reported a “hit” – a match between the unknown assailant’s DNA and the DNA profile of a known offender. That offender was Abercrombie. The evidence was presented to the Suffolk County Special Grand Jury, which returned an indictment on Jan. 9, 2013. Abercrombie was apprehended a short time later.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone. While the victims of any crime should call 911 in an emergency, survivors of sexual violence in Suffolk County may also call the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371.  The BARCC provides legal assistance, counseling, and other services to the victims of rape and sexual assault.

Anne Kelley-McCarthy was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Abercrombie was represented by attorney Michelle Troiano.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.