On Jan. 12, a man was found guilty for a kidnapping and rape that took place near Forest Hills 13 years ago. The case was complicated by the fact that the defendant was an identical twin, according to Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Jurors convicted Dwayne McNair, 36, on all charges in connection with two 2004 attacks. He faces sentencing next month on eight counts of aggravated rape and two counts of armed robbery.
According to the DA’s Office, over the course of the trial, it was proven that McNair and a second man, Anwar Thomas, 35, abducted and sexually assaulted two women within nine days of one another during September 2004. Thomas pleaded guilty in 2012 and testified at his trial that he could distinguish McNair from his twin brother.
“We left no stone unturned in the 13-year history of this case,” Conley said in a statement. “When we heard of cutting-edge DNA testing that could distinguish between identical twins, we utilized it. Although a judge ruled the results were not admissible, they only strengthened our commitment to bring the case to trial. We were deeply gratified that the jury recognized the defendant’s guilt even without that powerful evidence, and I hope they recognize that their verdicts took a dangerous sexual predator off Boston’s streets.”
According to the DA’s Office, on Sept. 21, 2004, McNair and Thomas abducted a woman at gunpoint as she walked alone in the area of Forest Hills. They beat her with a handgun and drove her to a remote location where she was sexually assaulted, robbed, and then driven to the area of Franklin Park, where she was released.
According to the DA’s Office, the second victim was abducted on the night of Sept. 29, 2004, as she walked alone in the area of Parker and Hillside streets in Roxbury. McNair and Thomas forced the woman into a vehicle and struck her in the head with a gun repeatedly. She was taken to a wooded area where she was sexually assaulted and robbed. The victim was able to collect a condom used by one of the men as she gathered her clothing after the assault and provided it to Boston Police.
DNA testing of the condom and other evidence matched the genetic profile of Dwayne McNair, but because he is an identical twin, also matched that of his twin brother. The technology of the testing at the time could not differentiate between the two, but prosecutors and police eventually secured additional evidence against Dwayne McNair, leading to his indictment.
McNair is being represented by attorney Robert Tobin, who could not be reached for comment.