A Serial Rapist Thought He Got Away With Terrorizing Multiple Women in 1991. A Baseball Hat Finally Did Him in.

After over three decades, a Virginia judge made sure an Arlington serial rapist who terrorized women at gunpoint and evaded the police will never walk free again.

Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Louise DiMatteo recently handed a life sentence in prison to Michael F. Thomson, 67, for the serial raping of multiple women. Thomson pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one count of attempted abduction with intent to defile and two counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of rapes.

From January to December 1991, Thomson terrorized and sexually assaulted women who disembarked at the East Fall Church Metro station near Washington D.C.

According to prosecutors, on Jan. 17, 1991, while walking home from the metro station along Little Falls Road, a woman was approached by an unknown man with a gun and raped between two houses.

On Feb. 13, 1991, an unsuspecting woman walking to her car on North Tuckahoe Street from the metro station was accosted by Thomson at gunpoint. He raped her by the side of a house before he fled.

Then, on March 6, 1991, after forcing another woman behind a house and ordering her to take off her clothes, he placed a gun to her head and ordered her to be quiet before posing a question.

"The suspect then asked the victim if she wanted him to leave and when she said yes, he fled the scene on foot," a police press release stated, reported WUSA9.

Finally, on Dec. 2, 1991, Thompson accosted a woman on the 6100 Block of North 22nd Street. This time, the woman screamed. Thomson dropped his baseball hat and fled the scene.

After evading the police for decades, investigators reviewed the cold case file in 2017 and used genetic genealogy to compare the suspect’s DNA with family members who had voluntarily submitted their DNA in various databases and depositories.

As a result, authorities used the DNA profile developed from the baseball hat Thomson dropped at the last rape scene as well as forensic evidence collected in the previous rape cases and were able to link it to the defendant’s close relative. Streamlining the family tree, Thomson was finally identified as the serial rapist.

Thomson was arrested at his home in Montross, Virginia, on Dec. 1, 2020, where he had moved from the Washington D.C. area years prior. Surprised at the police showing up on his doorsteps, Thomson tried to avoid leaving DNA materials during his initial interview.

“He was thirsty and wanted water, but he didn't want it from a can, or a glass, or a bottle,” said Arlington Police Det. Rosa Ortiz, who had been relentless in her pursuit of the defendant, according to NBC Washington. “He wanted... a water fountain. Ultimately we accommodated him."

Judge DiMatteo sentenced Thomson to an additional 56 years in prison, which is to be served concurrent with the life term.

“Every member of our community should be able to safely walk home without fear of violent attacks like those committed by Michael Thomson," said Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, according to Arlington Virginia News. "While nothing can fully restore his survivors’ sense of security, I hope this sentence serves as a powerful message that we will not waiver in our pursuit to hold sexual predators accountable for their actions. This case is another great example of the dedicated efforts of our Cold Case Unit to continue to use all available resources until the offender is brought to justice, no matter how much time has passed."