Kurt Rillema, the alleged golf course rapist, was recently discovered to have secretly invested in three now-closed strip clubs in Ohio and was previously accused of assaulting an adult dancer, according to sources who spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital.
One source described his behavior: "He was like a kid in a candy store. He bragged he was an owner to get sexual favors."
Rillema's clandestine activities reportedly included investments in Lacey's Playhouse, Kisses Showgirls, and Hush Showgirls in Toledo. These investments were allegedly made without the knowledge of his wife. The suburban father of three was arrested on April 17 after DNA from a discarded coffee cup linked him to two 24-year-old cold case rapes. Rillema has no prior criminal record.
Around 2016, Rillema allegedly assaulted an adult dancer at Hush Showgirls. A source described the incident: "He went into the back and ripped off her clothes." A former manager at the gentlemen's club confirmed the occurrence.
The former manager told Fox News Digital that he had warned the dancers about Rillema. He claimed that Rillema tried to lure the girls into a VIP room that was no longer in use in order to have sex with them. The ex-manager recalled, "He was very aggressive and would try to overpower them."
Rillema, a business executive in the construction industry, seemed to lead an everyday, affluent life as a married father of three in Michigan. The family resides in a $2.2 million lakefront home in West Bloomfield and owns multiple investment properties.
Rillema served on the board of directors and as a parent volunteer at the Rochester Soccer Club. He was also a member of the exclusive Orchard Lake Country Club. The avid golfer participated in amateur tournaments from 2000 and played at courses nationwide.
However, Rillema's carefully crafted life fell apart due to genetic genealogy. In September 1999, an employee at the Twin Lakes Golf Club was raped in Oakland Charter Township after a man broke into an employee entrance and demanded she remove her clothes.
Nine months later, the same assailant attacked a 19-year-old woman jogging near the 18th hole of the Blue Course at Penn State University. He asked her for a Band-Aid and directions to the clubhouse.
When she attempted to leave, he allegedly held a pocket knife to her throat, dragged her into the woods, and ordered her to remove her shirt. According to court documents, the victim began to cry, and the attacker punched her in the stomach and raped her.
Investigators acquired DNA from the rape kits performed on both women and uploaded the profiles to the Combined DNA Index System. Although there were no matches and the cases went cold, in 2004, investigators discovered that the same suspect was responsible for both attacks.
In July 2021, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and Penn State police contacted Parabon Nanolabs for genetic genealogy testing in a last-ditch effort to solve the cold case rapes. CeCe Moore, a DNA detective at Parabon, has assisted law enforcement in identifying over 250 suspects.
Moore explained the role of genetic genealogy, stating, "Genetic genealogy is a lead generator. It's not evidence in a court of law." The discipline combines genetic analysis with public record searches.
The DNA sample was uploaded to GEDMatch, a database with approximately 1.2 million profiles. Moore and a colleague spent around 15 hours identifying Rillema's distant relatives, dating back to the 1700s. They then constructed a family tree that narrowed the potential suspects to Rillema and his two brothers.
"We don't tell the police who it is," Moore said. "We provide information, and they have to conduct their own investigation." She emphasized that obtaining a one-to-one DNA match is crucial for evidence admissible in court.
Law enforcement focused on Rillema because he lived near the Twin Lakes Golf Club, and his brother attended Penn State during the second rape, as stated in court documents.
Authorities began surveilling Rillema and obtained a discarded coffee cup with a sample of his DNA earlier this year. The model directly matched the DNA from the rape kits.
"Genetic genealogy is helping identify a new type of criminal: people who've committed terrible, very violent crimes that appear to be upstanding members of society," Moore told Fox News Digital. "They have careers and are very successful and not the sort of people that law enforcement would usually suspect."
According to a spokesperson, Orchard Lake County Club's board "unanimously voted to take swift, appropriate action" and suspended Rillema on Tuesday.
Centre County District Attorney Sean McGraw, who is prosecuting the Penn State rape case, delivered a clear message: "No matter how long ago it was, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you," he told Fox News Digital.
In Michigan, Rillema is charged with first- and second-degree felony criminal sexual conduct and is held without bond. In Pennsylvania, he faces felony counts of rape, sexual assault, and aggravated indecent assault. He could face a life sentence.
Rillema's defense attorney, Deanna Kelley, declined to comment on the specifics of this article. She said, "A piece of evidence is only as good as its collection and analysis, and I don't know any of that yet." Kelley added, "Every story has two sides, and he's looking forward to telling his side in court."
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