Man pleads guilty to raping two women near Seattle waterfront

A transient who raped two women near Seattle's waterfront in the summer of 2007 pleaded guilty today to two counts of first-degree rape.

Angel Galvan-Hernandez, 26, was arrested on Aug. 11, 2007, after a man walking through Myrtle Edwards Park saw Galvan-Hernandez raping a woman and intervened. The witness held Hernandez until Seattle police arrived.

Police and staff at Harborview Medical Center quickly linked the attack with another rape near the park five days earlier. Both women had been beaten over the head with a rock, had clumps of their hair yanked out and were bitten by their attacker. The cases were linked through DNA.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg praised the good Samaritan and said that police might not have solved the first case had the man not intervened.

While Galvan-Hernandez and the first victim were acquainted, the second woman was attacked while walking through the park alone, according to court charging papers.

The 41-year-old woman told police that she begged the man to stop, screamed for help and nearly lost consciousness. At some point during the attack, the good Samaritan approached and heard the victim yell for help, charging papers said.

The woman twisted herself free and ran for help, dressed only in her bra and a pair of socks. The good Samaritan then grabbed Galvan-Hernandez and held him until police arrived.

Galvan-Hernandez later told police that he was high on cocaine during the attack.

Hospital staff had collected DNA evidence from the victim of the first attack, but police couldn't find a genetic match at that point because Galvan-Hernandez hadn't been convicted of a felony and wasn't part of the state DNA database. The second attack provided the DNA link to the cases.

"The result here will ensure a long sentence for a violent predatory rapist," Satterberg said, adding that he believes Galvan-Hernandez was "on a spree and looking for more vulnerable women."

Galvan-Hernandez faces up to 20 years in prison for the attacks. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com