Philadelphia police locked up Matthew Jones in August 2012 shortly after he raped a woman in the area of Frankford Avenue and Dyre Street. Only later did detectives learn that the arrest signalled the end to Jones’ five-year spate of terror against women in Frankford.
DNA evidence in January 2013 linked Jones to three additional and particularly brutal rapes in the area dating to May 2007. This month, a judge ordered Jones, now 30, to remain behind bars for decades to come. Common Pleas Court Judge Donna Woelpper sentenced the Megan’s Law predator to serve 35 to 100 years in state prison.
Woelpper delivered the sentence on April 17 after Jones pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including four counts of rape, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, one aggravated assault and three simple assaults. His four victims ranged in age from 25 to 45, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The first attack occurred on May 10, 2007. Additional rapes occurred on Aug. 28, 2008; March 26, 2011; and Aug. 29, 2012. In one case, Jones attacked a woman in front of her 18-month-old child, the newspaper reported. In another case, he beat the woman’s face severely. A third victim testified that she still fears walking down the street. ••
