Berkeley police announced a major break in a decades-old cold case. A suspect connected to multiple kidnappings and sexual assaults in Alameda County was arrested in Texas. This is a cold case that Berkeley PD has been working on for decades; but this week, detectives finally closed the case by f lying to Texas. With the help of agencies in the state, they arrested Lashay Durriseau, a man connected to multiple kidnappings and sexual assaults in Alameda County between 1994 to 2008. “It shows how the combination of law enforcement and sciences combined has evolved into a very effective investigative machine if you will,” said Michael Leininger, former San Jose police detective with a background in sexual assault investigations. Leininger says funding  played a big role in making the arrest possible, with Berkeley PD receiving funding from the Alameda County DA’s Office to process previously untested rape kits connected to the case. Additionally, another grant from the state’s Department of Justice allowed Berkeley PD  to process more than 500 cold cases of sexual assault with agencies such as Richmond PD and Oakland PD also identifying cases connected to the same suspect. “This guy, really without the DNA testing, the funding, and familial genealogy, would still be walking free today,” Leininger said. “When it comes to a cold case, DNA is law enforcement’s best friend,” said Legal analyst Steven Clark. Clark believes the next challenge will be deciding which jurisdiction will go first when it comes to prosecuting the suspect, who is accused of sexual assaults in multiple states. “What you’ll likely see is the jurisdiction with the strongest case go first, particularly if there’s witnesses that are elderly and need their cases heard right away,” Clark said. For now, Leininger hopes this arrest by Berkeley PD, with the help of agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, provides some closure to the victims. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a peace they have not yet known, knowing this guy is put away, this chapter is over,” Leininger said. ...read more read less