Retired Detroit cop accused of leading double life as a serial rapist

Detroit — A retired Detroit Police sergeant is accused of having lived a double life during his time on the police force — posing as a decorated cop while secretly being a serial rapist who sexually assaulted five women at gunpoint, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday. The alleged assaults by Benjamin Wagner happened between 1999 and 2003, Worthy said during a press conference. The victims were between the ages of 15 and 23, Worthy said. The 2003 alleged assault came after a Wayne County jury found Wagner not guilty of five counts of first-degree sexual assault in August 2002. Wagner’s stepdaughter had accused him of sexually abusing her over a period of years. Following the verdict, Wagner’s suspension ended, and he continued as a police officer until his 2017 retirement.

Wagner, who moved to Greenville, South Carolina, after retiring, was arrested there Tuesday and waived extradition, Worthy said. The defendant was charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping charges carry penalties of up to life in prison. “We are alleging that Wagner sexually assaulted his young victims, and the common elements were they were walking to school, home from work, or simply going to a friend’s house,” Worthy said. “These happened in the early morning hours, mostly, all on Detroit’s northwest side. He utilized isolation and force. He was armed with a handgun in each and every case. He threatened their lives if they reported, and he did not use a condom in the assaults.” Worthy provided the Detroit Police Sex Crimes Unit’s phone number, (313) 596-1950, asking anyone who thinks they were assaulted by Wagner to call.

How law enforcement cracked cases of sexual assault

DNA analysis cracked the case, Worthy said. In 2010, Michigan State Police linked an unknown male’s DNA to Detroit assaults that happened between 1999 and 2003. “The male suspect was unknown to the victims, and the suspect’s DNA was not contained in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS),” prosecutors said in a release. “In August 2023, the FBI Detroit Field Office received a report identifying an investigative lead to a potential suspect linked to these five sexual assault kits. The FBI continued to work on the investigative lead, prosecutors said. In March, agents linked Wagner to the five assaults, Worthy said. At the time of the assaults, Wagner lived on Bentler Street in Detroit, Worthy said. All the assaults happened within about five-and-a-half miles from his home, the prosecutor said.

Wagner did not have a lawyer listed on the Wayne County Circuit Court website. His arraignment is scheduled for March 26 in Detroit’s 36th District Court, according to Worthy, who said he is expected back in Michigan on March 24. “The work done in this case by our officers shows the true example of what I mean when I say the men and women of the Detroit Police Department are truly dedicated to the work that they do,” Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said. “Cold cases are oftentimes some of the most difficult cases to solve because they require years of persistence, careful reviews of evidence and, most importantly, an unwavering commitment to justice. The work done by this team reflects this dedication.”

Wayne County prosecutor provides timeline of alleged assaults

Worthy provided a timeline for Wagner’s alleged crimes:

• On Nov. 10, 1999, after getting off work, the 17-year-old victim took a bus to a stop near a friend’s home. As the woman walked in the 18500 block of Wyoming, “it is alleged that the defendant approached her, pointed a gun at her, ordered her from the scene, and sexually assaulted her,” prosecutors said.
• A 23-year-old woman on Jan. 31, 2000, left her Detroit home to go to the store. As she walked in the 19800 block of Florence Street, Wagner allegedly pointed a gun at her head, ordered her to go with him and sexually assaulted her.
• On Sept. 28, 2000, the 15-year-old victim was on her way to school. As she was walking toward a bus stop in the 19800 Block of Florence Street, Wagner allegedly “grabbed her arm and put a gun in her face,” prosecutors said. “It is then alleged that he ordered her to move from the scene and sexually assaulted her.”
• Wagner on Nov. 19, 2000, allegedly attacked a 20-year-old woman from behind as she was walking from her friend’s home in the 8500 block of W. McNichols. Wagner allegedly put a gun to her back, forced her to an isolated spot and sexually assaulted her.
• As a 16-year-old girl was walking to a bus stop on her way to school on April 15, 2003, Wagner allegedly came out of an alley and forced the victim at gunpoint to walk with him to another spot, where he sexually assaulted her.

Although Worthy said a handgun was used in all the assaults, she said the six-year statute of limitations has expired, preventing prosecutors from charging Wagner with felony firearm. The Wayne County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force was formed after more than 11,000 untested sexual assault kits were found in 2009 in a Detroit Police storage facility. The kits, which were collected between 1984 and 2009, were never submitted for DNA testing. Worthy said the investigation was headed by Task Force Detective Patrick Moug, with help from the Greenville Police Department, FBI Detroit Field Office and the FBI Charlotte Field Office. ghunter@detroitnews.com (313) 222-2134 @GeorgeHunter_DN This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Worthy accuses retired Detroit cop of leading double life as a serial rapist