Convicted Rapist Accused Of Murdering, Sexually Assaulting A Woman Found Dead In Alley

A sex offender is now accused of rape and murder after a woman was found dead in a New York alley, police said.

Around 11 p.m. on Sept. 24, police in Rochester, New York, were called to Pearce Street for a report of an injured woman in an alley.

Officer arrived and found 65-year-old Mary Simzer dead, police said. Authorities said she was murdered and raped. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Investigators identified Ronald Lagasse as the suspect. He was arrested this week and charged with second-degree murder. Police say additional charges may be possible.

Authorities did not detail if the suspect knew Simzer before the alleged attack.

Lagasse is a sex offender after he was convicted of third-degree rape in 1997, police said.