It may have taken 34 years, and a national manhunt, but it finally happened: authorities have finally arrested Gary Alan Irving, a serial rapist wanted in the rapes of three women who's been on the run since receiving a life sentence in 1979.
Authorities found Massachusetts native Irving guilty in the rapes of three young women - including a 16-year-old girl - in 1978 in Norfolk County court, according to The Huffington Post. He was handed a life sentence in prison for the heinous crimes, but when a judge delayed his sentence, and gave him an extra two days to "make arrangements" prior to serving his prison term, Irving vanished.
Police discovered 52-year-old Irving had been living under a new identity - the cleverly devised persona of "Gregg Irving" - in Gorham, Maine. Irving had since set up an entirely new life in the town; he's been married for 29 years, has a son and daughter now in their 20s and a grandchild, and has been working as technician installing telephones in businesses, said neighbor Leroy Dixon. "As far as I can see, he lived an ordinary life in a middle-class suburb," said Dixon. Irving has lived in the home for decades, Dixon added. Maine authorities didn't explain how they found Irving.
"They certainly blended into the community," said Gorham Police Lt. Christopher Sanborn, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
Irving and his wife were at home watching TV while looking after a 3-year-old girl - believed to be his granddaughter - when police showed up to arrest him Wednesday evening.
"He was surprised to find law enforcement on his front door," Maine State Police Sgt. Robert Burke said Thursday,
Irving's wife claimed she had "no knowledge of his true identity." Irving has remained on the Massachusetts Top 10 Most Wanted List ever since he was convicted.
Police say now that they've got Irving's alternate identity, Maine law enforcement will begin combing through unsolved rape cases in the past to search for his possible involvement. Irving is currently being held without bail at Cumberland County Jail.