The DNA of a man facing 11 charges for allegedly sexually assaulting two women on the Monon Trail last month has been linked to a 2016 cold case rape of a 13-year-old in Lawrence.
Larry Duerson, 27, who is currently behind bars at the Marion County Jail, was charged with two counts of rape and two counts of child molesting tied to the 2016 assault, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Sept. 11, 2025.
“The accusations in this case are every parent’s and survivor’s worst nightmare,” Said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “After all these years, we are finally able to provide some answers and hope for the survivor. They courageously revisited their most traumatic experience to help us build this case, allowing us to pursue the justice they deserve.”
Investigators allege in court documents that Duerson, who would have been 18 at that time, climbed through a bedroom window of a then 13-year-old’s who lived in the same neighborhood.
On June 18, 2019, DNA from a rape kit linked him to the assault, the court document states, but no charges were filed in the case at the time. Detectives learned that the teen had moved out of state, which stalled the case, a police spokesperson said.
“But then the victim came back earlier this year,” said Lawrence Police Assistant Chief Travis Cline.
The teen, who is now an adult, came to the department to speak with detectives on Aug. 29, 2025, which helped lead to charges against Duerson.
Court docs: Teen said man snuck through window
Larry Duerson: 11 charges filed against suspect in Monon Trail attacks of two women
On Feb. 2, 2016, Lawrence Police were called about a rape that happened inside a home in the 5800 block of High Grass Lane. The 13-year-old’s guardians told officers that they had been assaulted. According to court records, the teen was asleep on an air mattress on the floor inside a bedroom, and their younger cousin was also asleep in a bed.
A TV was on when they awoke to noises outside a window. Assuming it was the wind, they ignored it, but then woke up again and saw a male wearing all black clothing with a black ski mask covering his face, according to court documents.
He smelled like cigarette smoke.
A probable cause stated the rapist told the teen to stay in bed and not make any noise or else he’d shoot everybody in the house. Court records state the teen never saw the attacker’s face.
After the assault, the male left through the window, and the teen told her guardians. A rape exam was administered at St. Vincent Hospital, and according to court documents, a swab from the teen gave investigators the DNA link that led to charges being filed.
A break in the case came after police began investigating the violent attacks of two women on Aug. 8 and Aug. 14 on the Monon Trail.
Both women told police that while on their early morning runs, they passed by a stranger on the trail who would then grab them by the neck from behind, drag them into the woods, and brutally attack them.
Forensic evidence collected from one woman’s neck and the other woman’s fingernails provided identical DNA linking back to Duerson, who was already in a police database. A task force comprised of Indianapolis police and FBI agents arrested him later the same day.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. Public safety reporter Noe Padilla contributed to this article. Communities reporter, Ryan Murphy contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DNA from man accused of Monon Trail rapes linked to 2016 rape of 13-year-old