Police say bike path rapist case never went cold
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Members of the Amherst Police Department, from left, Detective Michael Rose, Detective Lt. Joseph LaCorte, Capt. Timothy Green, Detective Ted DiNoto and Detective Edward Monan were among the staff assigned to the bike path rapist case when Altemio Sanchez was arrested in January. They are a few of the many who worked the case during the almost three-decade investigation.

For seven hours Amherst police were face to face with a man they had been hunting for more than 20 years.

Altemio Sanchez was in custody, the man believed to be the infamous bike path rapist. The man who murdered three women and who police have linked to at least 10 rapes.

He has since pleaded guilty to three murders. Unsolved rape cases are still being investigated by police to determine if he is connected.

But it has been since the first reported rape on one of the town's bike paths that Amherst police have been searching for the guilty party.

Amherst police members say the bike path rapist case never went cold in their office. It resurfaced in the public's eye with the murder of Joan Diver in September 2006. Involving the FBI, State Police, Erie County Sheriffs and Buffalo Police Department, the investigation heated up when DNA from the Diver case was connected to the murders of former University at Buffalo student Linda S. Yalem in 1990 and May Jane Mazur, who was found on Exchange Street in November 1992.

It was then known that the bike path rapist had struck 20 years after the last known murder. Mrs. Diver's death resulted in the formation of a task force for the bike path rapist case, which used the Amherst Police Department as its headquarters. But who was the man many called a monster?

It was the DNA recovered by Amherst police that was used in the case against Sanchez.

The bike path rapist case from the 1980s was not the same case when Sanchez was arrested. New technology allowed departments to test DNA faster, eliminating suspects who did not match DNA from the murder sites. Advances in technology also broke down the possibilities, pointing police towards a Hispanic male.

It was Sanchez's DNA that Amherst police detectives followed - literally. Sanchez became a top suspect and his DNA was needed. So detectives, including Ed Monan and Michael Rose, tailed Sanchez and his wife.

After two days of surveillance Amherst police followed Sanchez and his wife from their home in Cheektowaga, through parts of Amherst and Clarence, before they returned to Williamsville to dine at Sole on Jan. 13.

"We went in and spoke to the manager to tell the waitress not to remove the dishes," Monan said.

Detectives waited while Sanchez dined. When he left, police realized the wait staff hadn't left as many pieces as they had wanted but they left enough.

After testing a straw, two glasses, a napkin and a coffee cup - retrieved from Borders in Cheektowaga by the Sheriff's Department, they had a strong sample. It was the napkin Sanchez used to wipe his mouth that told police the DNA from Sanchez was that of the DNA from the murder sites.

"It was a team effort," Monan said about getting the DNA samples. "We had a really good suspect ... in our hearts we knew we had the guy."

Sanchez was arrested on Jan. 15. Five months after Mrs. Diver was found, police put the handcuffs on their suspect.

For seven hours Monan sat in a room with Sanchez during the cold January day trying to get the answers to decades worth of questions.

The questioning never broke Sanchez, Monan said.

"He was nervous, but not overly nervous ... it was almost like he was in it for the long haul," he said. "We thought we might get some answers but he wouldn't speak to us."

During those hours Sanchez never once asked for a lawyer and refused to touch anything, not even the food or drink brought to him.

Monan, who was first assigned to the case in 2003, said when they informed Sanchez of the case against him he didn't falter. Everything was responded with, "That's what you say."

"It's like he knew if he ever got caught, 'this is how I would play my cards,'" he said describing Sanchez's demeanor in the interrogation room.

Detective Ted DiNoto said he was also at the questioning and said Sanchez seemed prepared.

"It appeared to me that he had 20 years to prepare for the interrogation. He seemed to be prepared for any question they had," DiNoto said.

For almost three decades the Amherst police dedicated staff to the case. Sandy Rohrig, a secretary for the department, was assigned the full-time position of fielding and categorizing tips as an influx of information filtered in.

After the 1992 broadcast of American's Most Wanted, featuring the Yalem case, the department received 1,200 tips from around the country. In all more than 3,200 tips came in during the investigation.

"We really want to thank the public ... without them this may have never been solved," said Detective Lt. Joe LaCorte, who has been on the case since joining the team of investigators in 1991.

For years, detectives were assigned to follow leads, not resting until they could clear the person in question.

Their dedication took them outside of New York State, including North Carolina. While they didn't find the bike path rapist during that lead they did find a man charged with assault on a young teen in Hamburg.

"The department was relentless, we never stopped looking at this case," LaCorte said.

Sanchez had been questioned by police years before and always remained a person of interest in their books.

Since arresting Sanchez police have developed their opinions on the man.

LaCorte said Sanchez is a "control freak," who in his mind thought he was in control through the questioning and arraignment. He described the crimes as being against "victims of opportunity."

Detective Michael Rose said he believes that Sanchez's wife didn't know she was living with a monster.

"I spoke with her and I feel safe saying she was not lying about that ... it must be really hard," he said.

Then the morning of May 16 Amherst detectives were called, being told to get to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

"The DA said (Sanchez) was pleading guilty," Monan said.

But the investigations have not ended. Police are still reviewing unsolved cases to determine if Sanchez is responsible.

Chief John Moslow said he was proud to serve as chief when this case came to a close. He was the third chief in the department to serve during the investigation following John Askey and Herbert E. Zimmerman.

"I am very proud of the effort put forth by the members of the Amherst Police Department to bring Mr. Sanchez to justice," Moslow said.

He added during the years that Sanchez was committing these crimes the departments and community were holding their breath not knowing when he would strike again.

"It was good to put this to bed. There were emotional ups and downs," he said. "This was priority number one for us. The Diver murder gave police another link."

Using the Amherst Police Department as headquarters for the task force, dedicating four detectives to the case and logging countless hours of investigation, didn't mean the everyday work stopped, Capt. Timothy Green said.

"I am proud that the unit continued to do the work day in and day out," he said, adding that during the years there were many other serious cases, including homicides that the department had to investigate.

"The experiences we have bring us that much further," Green said. "Crimes require us to exercise our training."

Green, who has been overseeing the detective unit for the past five years, said he is proud of the Amherst police department and the efforts of the task force.

"It was extraordinary ... everyone rolled up their sleeves and worked as a group," he said.

Not many towns deal with such a volume of tips and a serial killer, LaCorte said.

Many detectives who worked on the case have since retired. Moslow said he spoke with a retired detective who expressed congratulations to the department.

"It was a great relief to put the puzzle together," Moslow said.

Having pleaded guilty in May to the three murders Sanchez awaits sentencing on Aug. 2.