Man arrested over series of Georgetown home rapes

WASHINGTON — More than a decade after an unknown gunman terrorized young women in the Georgetown area with a series of rapes, police say the man responsible has been arrested.

Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, of Arlington, faces three counts of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The charges involve five alleged assaults in the Georgetown area and one near the University of Maryland College Park. Mercado was arrested on Tuesday and made his first appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon, where he was sentenced to prison.

Between 2008 and 2012, Mercado violently entered his victims' homes late at night after they had returned from their evenings out. Because of the darkness and confusion, many of the women were unable to provide a detailed description of their attacker.

“He targeted sleeping and drunken victims in their homes with the intent to rape them,” lead investigator Alexander Mac Bean said Wednesday during a news conference announcing Mercado's arrest. “When his victims woke up, he fled the scene.”

The investigation has been ongoing for at least 16 years and has been in the hands of MPD's Cold Case Team for 10 years. According to an affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court, a DNA sample submitted for genetic genealogy testing in 2019 ultimately led investigators to Mercado as their primary suspect.

The series of sexual assaults and home invasions sparked intense media coverage in the Washington, D.C. area. At the time, many media outlets dubbed the serial rapist the “Georgetown Cuddler,” a name Mac Bean said caused even more harm to those already victimized.

“Over the years, this term has only caused more harm to our victims,” he said. “This man is a predator and his intention was not to cuddle these women, but to rape them.”

The attacks Mercado is accused of were reported between June 26, 2008 and August 31, 2012. The victims were all young women attending college and recent graduates.

“The seriousness of these crimes and the complexity of their investigation is one reason why the statute of limitations for our most serious sex offenses is longer than for most other crimes we prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves

DNA rape tests were conducted on several victims, and years later tests revealed that the same person had attacked the victims.

“While this was an important breakthrough, it only showed that the same person had committed these six crimes, it did not tell us who the perpetrator was,” Graves said.

Officials say investigators used forensic tools and detective work to identify Mercado, who was taken into custody without incident Tuesday evening.

If convicted, Mercado faces life in prison. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 10.

Meanwhile, police continue to search for other possible victims. If you or someone you know has been attacked or recognizes Mercado, police recommend calling Crime Stoppers at 202-727-9099 or texting 50411. You can remain anonymous.