DNA ‘cold hit’ nabs rapist

A Richmond Hill man has been charged with raping two women on separate occasions in 1997. The arrest was the result of a DNA ‘cold hit’ matching the DNA evidence from the cases with the defendant’s DNA profile obtained recently from a gun seized during a drug raid.
Peter J. Grebinger, 41, of 85-88 87th Street in Richmond Hill, is charged with two counts of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree sodomy. If convicted, he faces up to 50 years in prison.
According to the charges, a 33-year-old woman was walking to the subway on her way to work at 7:30 a.m. on January 3, 1997, when Grebinger approached her near 87-18 101st Avenue and told her that he had a gun and not to scream. It is alleged that he demanded money from the woman and then forced her into a nearby building where he raped and sodomized her before again demanding money. She allegedly gave him a sum of money, at which point the defendant ordered her to count to 100 and fled.
In the second instance, it is alleged that a 22-year-old woman on her way to work at 6:20 a.m. on December 28, 1997 flagged down the defendant’s car — believing it to be a dollar cab — in the vicinity of 179th Street and Jamaica Avenue. The defendant allegedly told her that the rear seat was full and that she should sit up front. Once inside the vehicle, Grebinger allegedly locked the doors and instructed the woman to keep quiet and do what he told her. It is alleged that a struggle ensued, during which the defendant struck the woman in the face, slammed her head into the dashboard, and ordered her to get on the floor. After driving a short distance, the defendant parked the car and allegedly took jewelry from the woman before ordering her into the backseat, where he raped her.
In each case, the victim was taken to a local hospital, where medical personnel prepared a sexual assault kit.
On April 25, 2008, a court-authorized search warrant was executed on the defendant’s residence on an unrelated matter, during which two semi-automatic firearms - a loaded 9mm and a loaded .25 cal pistol - were allegedly seized, as well as various amounts of cocaine and marijuana. The guns were tested for DNA and a profile was recovered from one of the guns. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner linked the gun DNA profile to the two cold rape cases from 1997. Grebinger was swabbed for DNA, and his DNA matched the gun.
In the weapons and drug case, Peter Grebinger and his father, also named Peter Grebinger, were charged with third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana. Bail was set at $15,000 for Peter Grebinger, Jr., and $5,000 for his 62-year-old father. Both defendants are scheduled to return to court on September 8.