Former Cornell student pleads guilty in 2012 attacks






























ITHACA – Christopher Alan Duenas, 26, of San Diego, pleaded guilty in two incidents where female Cornell University students said an unknown man attacked them.
Duenas pleaded guilty on Feb. 18 to two counts each of third degree attempted assault, second degree unlawful imprisonment and criminal obstruction of breathing, according to Cornell.

The charges stem from two assaults early Sept. 2, 2012 on Cornell campus.
Cornell Police identified Duenas, then a Cornell Law School student, as a suspect based a number of leads and reports that he was missing the day after the attacks, according to Cornell.

Cornell Police investigators tentatively linked Duenas to one of the victims through DNA evidence, and police flew to San Diego and executed a search warrant for a DNA swab. The sample confirmed a DNA link to Duenas, police said.
He was taken into custody on Jan. 14, 2015, at the U.S.-Mexico border on warrants issued by Ithaca City Court. Sentencing will be scheduled after a pre-sentence investigation.
Duenas has not been enrolled at the law school since September 2012, and he has no current Cornell affiliation.

Cornell University Police Chief Kathy Zoner said that superb police work led to the arrest.
“Although the investigation was quite lengthy, we are extremely pleased that we were able to bring this case to a successful conclusion,” she said.

BY ANDREW CASLER, acasler@ithacajournal.com


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