Suspect arrested for 1989 Framingham rapes still in California hospital

71-year-old Stephen Gale, the suspect in two brutal 1989 unsolved rapes in Framingham , remains in a California hospital, days after his arrest.

News of his capture brought relief in Massachusetts.

“It might have taken some time, but we got him,” said North Attleborough State Representative Adam Scanlon.

“It’s wonderful, I’m thrilled for the survivors,” he added.

Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan says on December 27, 1989, at a retail store in the old Shopper World in Framingham, Stephen Gale locked two young workers inside and raped them at gunpoint.

The victims helped police produce a sketch of the suspect, but for years, the case went unsolved.

Decades later, in 2022, Parabon NanoLabs of Virginia, using investigative genetic genealogy, matched the DNA to Stephen Gale.

“Mr. Gale has been charged with four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery,” DA Ryan announced in May.

In May, Boston 25 News spoke with both of the victims about the importance of locating Stephen Gale.

“We’re looking forward to closure and having accountability for what he did 34 years ago,” Victim 1 said in May.

“None of this has ever left our lives. This has always been a part of us, and it’s time that this guy is brought to justice and taken off the streets,”  Victim 2 added.

Both victims are helping State Rep. Scanlon pass a bill in Massachusetts, that would eliminate the statute of limitation for rape cases where DNA is collected.

Authorities say, if Gale had remained in Massachusetts all this time, even with a DNA match, he could not be prosecuted for these crimes.

“We want to ensure that justice does not expire,” Rep. Scanlon said. “This is something 35 other states do in some form or another. Rape on a federal level has no statute of limitations.”

Unlike Massachusetts, there are no hospital arrangements in California.

Once Gale is medically cleared, he is expected to go before a judge om California to begin his extradition to Massachusetts.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter . | Watch Boston 25 News NOW