More than 30 years after a woman was violently attacked and raped inside her Coral Springs home, a man has been arrested for the crime in Louisiana thanks to advances in DNA, authorities said.
Frank Montana, also known as Frank Cruz, was arrested Tuesday in East Baton Rouge on sexual battery charges in the October 1987 rape of a 27-year-old woman, Coral Springs Police said.
The woman told investigators she woke up in the middle of the night to a man wearing a ski mask standing over her in her bedroom. She said she was held down by her attacker and was forced to comply with her demands.
Police said the woman called them immediately after the attack and forensic evidence was collected but they were unable to connect a suspect to the crime.
But in March, detectives started investigating the cold case and coordinated with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab to have the forensic evidence tested again. Advances in DNA helped identify Montana as the suspect, officials said.
A warrant was issued and authorities found Montana in Louisiana. Attorney information wasn't available.
Police said Montana's criminal history revealed a prior arrest for sexual battery in Minneapolis.
