Fugitive captured at the border sentenced for kidnapping, raping Florida teen in 1992
Courtesy: Boynton Beach Police Department
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - A 58-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison for a 1992 kidnapping and sexual assault in Boynton Beach after spending more than three decades on the run, authorities said.
Jose A. Santos received the maximum penalty allowed under 1992 sentencing guidelines, according to law enforcement officials.
Boynton Beach police investigation
What we know:
The case began on June 8, 1992, when officers responded to reports of a sexual assault near the Tri-Rail station at 2800 High Ridge Road.
Investigators said Santos, who was 27 at the time, followed a 15-year-old girl from Lake Worth Road and Congress Avenue onto a train. When she got off at the Boynton Beach station, investigators said he dragged her into nearby woods and assaulted her.
Officers arrested Santos along the F.E.C. railroad tracks shortly after the attack. They said he provided a full confession and was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and lewd or lascivious battery, according to police reports.
However, after a court granted him bail, Santos skipped town.
Arrest at the border
The backstory:
On Dec. 1, 2023, authorities arrested Santos on his active 1992 warrant as he entered Texas from Mexico.
Detectives from the Boynton Beach Police Department's Special Victims Unit and the State Attorney's Office then executed a court order for his DNA.
The test results positively matched DNA recovered from the original 1992 sexual assault kit.
Decades on the run
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released details on where Santos was during his decades as a fugitive prior to his capture.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Boynton Beach Police Department, which detailed the investigation, arrest history and sentencing outcomes, as well as the State Attorney's Office.