POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - More than 15 years after a home invasion and sexual assault, Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives say they have identified and arrested the man responsible.
Officials say 63-year-old Wisler Marcellus was taken into custody last week after DNA evidence linked him to a 2009 sexual battery case in Pompano Beach.
According to BSO, the attack happened around 3:30 a.m. on June 19, when a 36-year-old mother was asleep in her bedroom with her two children. Investigators said a man broke into the home through a window, held the woman at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her while her children slept nearby.
“This person was sexually assaulted while her kids were at home and it’s just traumatizing,” said Maritza Nuñez, a BSO crime analyst.
The suspect then fled with her purse, leaving behind DNA evidence.
Despite multiple efforts at the time, the case went cold for 16 years.
Earlier this year, detectives used new advanced DNA technology to reexamine evidence. A familial search conducted identified a possible relative of the suspect, leading investigators to Marcellus.
Detectives were able to obtain a DNA sample from Marcellus when he returned from Haiti to Miami on Oct. 20. That sample matched the DNA collected from the 2009 crime scene.
“We were able to do genealogy work on the DNA left behind in 2009 and they run the DNA profile through the Department of Corrections and, in this case, we found that relative,” said BSO Detective Andrew Gianino.
Eight days later, Marcellus was arrested and booked into the Broward County jail. He remains behind bars with no bond and faces charges of sexual battery with a weapon and armed burglary.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.