Man from North Carolina admits guilt to several sexual assault charges dating back over 30 years in Maryland

North Carolina man, Marion Pearson, has pled guilty to second-degree rape and second-degree sex assault for attacks on two victims in April and June of 1981 in Montgomery County, Maryland. The 67-year-old faces up to 17 years of executed prison time, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for December 19, 2024. Pearson was identified as the suspect through evidence collected from an open rape case in 1981, which was submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for additional testing. The DNA was connected to Pearson through the FBI’s National DNA Index System (NDIS). Pearson had previously served 22 years in a North Carolina prison for a series of first-degree rapes and was released in 2020. He had lived in Prince George’s County and has been arrested multiple times for assault, indecent exposure, and peeping-tom incidents between 1980 and 1999. State’s Attorney John McCarthy commended the Montgomery County Police Cold Case Unit for bringing closure to the case after more than four decades, stating that the conviction can provide some comfort to the survivors of these crimes. Pearson’s upcoming sentencing will determine the final outcome of his punishment for these long-standing offenses.

Source
Photo credit www.fox5dc.com