Palm Beach County Serial Rapist Receives Two Life Sentences
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information on a Violent Sexual Offender known as the “Palm Beach County Serial Rapist.”
Baltazar Gabriel Delgado Ros, (AKA by several aliases and the nickname “Hormigo”) is a Hispanic male, date of birth January 21, 1986.
Prior to his identity being known to law enforcement, he was known as “The Palm Beach County Serial Rapist.”
Delgado was formally charged with the violent attacks and sexual assaults of five women.
Summary of the 5 Investigations:
Case 1: Jupiter Police Department 09-14283
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2009 at approximately 12:15 am.
Victim #1 was walking near the 200 block of Old Dixie Highway, Town of Jupiter, Palm Beach County. An unknown male, who covered his head with a white t-shirt, grabbed the victim by the shoulders and threw her on the ground. He kicked and punched the victim and then covered her nose and mouth with his hand causing her to nearly lose consciousness. The suspect bit the victim and struck her repeatedly in the head with his fists and sexually battered her.
Case 2: Village of Palm Springs-Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 11-085469
Date: Friday, July 23, 2009 at approximately 3:00 am.
Victim #2 was asleep in her bedroom when she woke and saw an unknown male standing on the side of her bed. The residence is located in the Village of Palm Springs, Palm Beach County. During a struggle, the suspect pressed what is believed to be a knife to the victim’s neck. He threatened to kill her and then sexually battered her. The victim was concerned not only for her life but also the safety of her two-year-old daughter and mother who were both asleep in separate rooms of the home.
Case 3: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 09-115003
Date: Friday/Saturday, between 11:30 pm August 7, 2009 and 12:30 am August 8, 2009.
Victim #3 was sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette outside her residence located on Melaleuca Trail, unincorporated Palm Beach County. An unknown male approached from the east side of the house and grabbed the victim, placing an unknown object against her neck, cutting her throat. The victim was severally beaten and bitten on several parts of her body, to the point she was unrecognizable, and sexually battered.
Case 4: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 10-026899
Date: Saturday, January 16, 2010 before 8:30 am.
Victim #4 left her house and began walking to work. While walking in the 2800 block of Lake Worth Road, unincorporated Palm Beach County, an unknown male approached her from behind and threatened to kill her. The suspect struck the victim in the head and face causing her to lose consciousness. The suspect sexually battered her. The victim sustained multiple facial fractures, head trauma, and bleeding on the brain in addition to the sexual battery.
CASE 5: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 11-124952
Date: September 23, 2011 at approximately 6:10 am.
Victim #5, was walking in the 2500 block of 10th Avenue, unincorporated Palm Beach County. The suspect grabbed the victim from behind. The suspect pulled the victim onto the grassy area next to the sidewalk where he struck her head and body, rendering her unconscious. The victim was bitten and sexually battered. A juvenile in the area witnessed some of the attack and promptly telephoned authorities. It was due to the quick actions by this witness that detectives were given new leads to these cases.
Investigative Summary and Timeline:
- The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory – Forensic Biology Unit confirmed that DNA evidence recovered on Victim’s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were from the same DNA profile. Each of the above described sexual battery crimes are linked through DNA and committed by the same perpetrator. The contributor to this suspect DNA profile was initially unknown and no matches could be found in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database.
- From 2009 to present, detectives from Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Jupiter Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with other agencies have been investigating these incidents through a “Serial Rapist Task Force.” This investigation consisted of “old school” police techniques combined with cutting edge technology which included the following:
- Numerous interviews were conducted, neighborhood “door to door” canvasses and countless community contacts, wide-scale gathering of voluntary DNA standards, Crime Stopper tips were obtained from the community and assigned to detectives for investigation, recovery of surveillance videos from traffic cameras, local businesses and Palm Tran buses, informational flyers and billboards, extensive analytical research, composite sketches, and the use of local and national news media to include several episodes of America’s Most Wanted to inform and solicit the public’s assistance.
- Utilizing all resources available, the Serial Rapist Task Force housed at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, spent countless hours of investigative time and “good old fashion police work” to identify Baltazar Gabriel Delgado Ros as the person responsible for these crimes.
Timeline of Suspect’s Whereabouts :
• Beginning in 2003, Delgado Ros lived in different locations within Jupiter, Florida, with his brother and attended Palm Beach Gardens High School for a short time in early 2004.
• Delgado Ros and family members lived on 1st Street, Jupiter, Florida. The address is less than a block from the location where Victim #1 was attacked (April 9, 2009).
• Delgado Ros worked with Victim #2’s husband, who was deported back to Guatemala approximately two weeks prior to her attack (July 24, 2009).
• Delgado Ros knew a co-worker who lived across the street from Victim #3 during the time she was attacked at her home (August 9, 2009).
• From August 2009 until February 2011 Delgado Ros lived, on and off, at a home on Holiday Drive, Lake Worth. This residence is a few blocks from where Victim #4 was attacked (January 16, 2010).
• On September 23, 2011 Delgado Ros lived on State Street, Lake Worth which is just blocks away from Victim #5 (September 23, 2011). At this time, Delgado Ros had shoulder length hair where the other attacks his hair was short.
• Beginning on October 1, 2011 Detectives began “canvassing” the streets near State Street distributing flyers showing a suspect sketch with long hair. Delgado Ros shaved his hair and abruptly moved from State Street on October 3, 2011, and relocated to North F Street, Lake Worth.
• On October 8, 2011 Delgado Ros left the Lake Worth area and flew to Guatemala leaving from Miami International Airport.
• On November 5, 2011 Delgado Ros committed an attempted sexual battery on a child under 12-years-old and was arrested in Guatemala. He was subsequently afforded a bond and was released pending further Guatemalan court proceedings.
• On November 8, 2011 Detectives were told by the residents on F Street, Lake Worth that Delgado Ros slept on their couch for the one week. The residents told Detectives that Delgado Ros left his sneakers at their house. The sneakers were seized and delivered to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory – Forensic Biology Unit to be analyzed.
• On November 11, 2011 residents on F Street identified Delgado Ros through a social network site and newspaper article photo as being the person arrested in Guatemala and the person they knew as “Gabriel Delgado.”
• On November 11, 2011 the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory – Forensic Biology Unit analyzed the sneakers belonging to Delgado Ros for DNA. The DNA profile found on the sneakers matched the suspect DNA found on all five victims.
• Probable Cause for an arrest warrant was established based on the fact Delgado Ros matched the suspect description provided to law enforcement, the fact he changed his appearance when police activity began around his residence, the fact he had lived and/or visited all the areas where the attacks have occurred, the fact Delgado Ros was friends with Victim #2’s husband and knew she would be at the residence without her husband, the fact he left the country when suspect sketches were publicized showing a suspect description, and then after arriving in Guatemala he was arrested for attempted sexual battery on a victim under the age of 12, as well as the DNA match between evidence recovered at each crime scene and the DNA obtained from the shoes belonging to Delgado Ros.
• November 14, 2011, arrest warrants obtained in Palm Beach County for Delgado Ros and the complicated international extradition process began.
• February 3, 2012, Delgado Ros was arrested in Guatemala for the international warrants stemming from the crimes committed in Palm Beach County.
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, the US Marshal’s Service, the US Department of State and numerous other agencies from the United States and Guatemala worked together to facilitate the international extradition process. Once the criminal charges against Delgado Ros were resolved in Guatemala, the final extradition agreement was authorized on March 4, 2014 and arrangements were made to bring Delgado Ros to the United States to stand trial for the crimes committed in Palm Beach County.
• On March 26, 2014 Delgado Ros was flown from Guatemala to Miami by the US Marshal’s Service and detectives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
• A search warrant was obtained and a sample of Delgado Ros’ DNA was acquired upon his arrival in Palm Beach County. An examination conducted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office – Forensic Biology Unit has confirmed DNA evidence recovered from the five crime scenes match Delgado Ros’ DNA.
• The following agencies were involved in the investigation and subsequent extradition of Delgado Ros: Palm Beach County (FL) Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County (FL) State Attorney’s Office, Jupiter (FL) Police Department, Palm Springs (FL) Police Department, Palm Beach County (FL) Victim Services, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Marshals Service – Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, National Sex Offender Targeting Center / Sex Offender Investigations Branch – Behavioral Analysis Unit, International Investigations Branch – Office of Central/South American Affairs, Diplomatic Security Service – Criminal Investigations Liaison, and Regional Security Office – Guatemala City, Department of Justice – Office of International Affairs, and the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC) and their Special Division of Criminal Investigations (DEIC).
