INDIANAPOLIS — A man who pleaded guilty to a series of rapes in Indianapolis from 2020 and 2021 was sentenced to more than 156 years.
Darrell Goodlow pleaded guilty to nine counts, including eight counts of rape and one count of killing a domestic animal.
Under a plea deal, dozens of counts were dismissed, including charges for kidnapping, criminal confinement and battery.
Officers were able to use a fingerprint and DNA to identify Goodlow as a suspect, according to court documents.
NOTE: 13News originally blurred the image of Darrell Goodlow as investigators said at the time there might be other possible victims that could come forward and would need to identify him. The above video is from a previous report on Goodlow's arrest.
Police believed Goodlow could be linked to at least a half-dozen rape cases involving eight victims beginning Aug. 1, 2020 through Sept. 8, 2021. The victims ranged in age from 58 to 78.
In a news conference Sept. 21, 2021, police announced Goodlow was facing 57 charges including rape, burglary, kidnapping, strangulation and killing a domestic animal.
In several of the cases, Goodlow allegedly threatened to kill the victims, and in one case, court documents say Goodlow killed a family's dog. According to court documents, Goodlow also tried to portray himself as a utility worker to gain entry to some of the women's homes.
In each of the cases, officers were able to collect evidence and DNA as the suspect had spent hours in the homes of the victims. It was in a Sept. 8, 2021, incident that investigators found a fingerprint on a fan that was moved by the suspect. That print led police to Goodlow.
Police then collected a DNA sample from Goodlow, and it matched the suspect in the eight sexual assaults, according to court documents.
Police said the victims reporting the rapes and providing the information they did helped police catch the suspect.
"We acknowledge the bravery and courage of each of the victims in these incidents," said former Lawrence Police Chief David Hofmann, at the time.
Almost all of the reported rapes took place on the east side of Indianapolis, with one of the cases happening on the north side. The east side attacks were within a couple miles of where Goodlow lived.
"There is really only one way to describe the alleged actions of the defendant and that is predatory. He planned these attacks and picked out his victims whom he terrorized repeatedly," said Paul Keenan, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge, at the time the arrest was announced. "Because of the courage of the victims who came forward, they will prevent other women from becoming victims."
Police did not immediately release Goodlow's mugshot in case there were other possible victims that might come forward, and it would need to be used to identify him.
Goodlow was also arrested in 2017 for a rape, but charges were never filed.