Westwood Man Convicted Of 2015 Fenway Rape

WESTWOOD, MA – A Westwood man was convicted of rape Wednesday in a "chilling" 2015 attack in Boston's Fenway neighborhood, the Suffolk District Attorney's office said. Michael Purpura, 38, was found guilty of aggravated rape, indecent assault and battery, strangulation or suffocation, unarmed burglary and larceny over $250.

Prosecutors said Purpura followed the victim, a woman in her 20s, home from Star Market on Kilmarnock Street on the night of Sept. 14, 2015 and "ambushed" her as she stepped into her apartment. He assaulted her into the following morning, forced her to shower and stole her phone, according to the DA.

The woman called 911 and was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where a rape kit was taken.

Investigators found that her attacker had entered Star Market about 15 minutes before she did, left and followed her as she walked home. Portions of his stalking of the victim were caught on the store's surveillance camera and other cameras in the area, authorities said.

Employees at the market told police the man in the video footage had recently given his first name and email address to take part in online surveys. Police searched related store records and found a credit card used by Purpura, who "closely resembled" the man in the surveillance videos, according to the DA.

He turned himself in to police Sept. 19 after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Investigators were able to link a DNA sample from him to evidence from the sexual assault.

"The evidence here was chilling," Conley said in a statement. "The attack was terrifying and the community is safer with the perpetrator behind bars. I’d like to commend the prosecutors and police detectives who built the case step by step, from witnesses to video footage to DNA, but we would never have reached this point without the survivor, whose testimony was so critical to this verdict."

Purpura is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 10

Image via Suffolk DA