ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in a trial for Gilbert Contreras, accused of a rape that occurred nearly 30 years ago.
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56-year-old Contreras was taken into custody in 2022 after a rape kit from 1994 was processed and matched his DNA. The victim was a 43-year-old woman who was running near the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. She has since passed away, so the case will depend strictly on DNA evidence. According to the DPS Sex Offender Registry, Contreras was convicted of statutory rape in 2005, in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.