Suspect in two violent sexual assaults in Hamilton found living in United States

Investigators have found a suspect in two violent sexual assaults in Hamilton in 2022 and 2023 living in the United States. The man was recently arrested and extradited back to Canada to face numerous charges.

The first attack occurred around 9:30 a.m. on July 13, 2022. A woman was walking around Upper Paradise and Donnici Drive when a man approached her from behind. Her assailant grabbed her, tied her arms behind her back and gagged her.

The man then began to assault her but was interrupted by another pedestrian walking through the area. He ran away south through Upper Paradise and was spotted on nearby surveillance cameras running down Edgehill Drive, about 500 metres away.

The attack prompted warnings not to walk the area alone or in the dark for some months after. However, Hamilton Police were unable to identify the man though “investigators exhausted all investigative steps.”

About a month later, police were still calling for public assistance in finding the suspect. This case and several other assaults on trails in the city resulted in a heavier police presence in Hamilton parks and greenspace for some time.

Detective Sergeant Jennifer Currie said at the time, “This was a violent daytime assault and we need the public’s help in identifying the suspect before he acts again. We encourage anyone who may recognize him to contact police or CrimeStoppers. Thankfully, witnesses were able to intervene during the attack otherwise we could have been dealing with different outcomes.”

At the time, police came to believe the suspect had recently graduated from an area high school.

More than a year later, on August 7, 2023, a 74-year-old woman was in her West Mountain home alone. As she slept, a man entered her house. He assaulted her for more than an hour and then left the home on foot. As in the previous attack, investigators failed to identify a suspect.

“From 2022 onwards, there were extensive and various investigative techniques used to identify the suspect,” police described, “including working with local school boards, sharing case information with other Ontario agencies through the Ontario Serial Predator Investigations Coordinator, following tips and identifying persons of interest.”

The investigation continued until police connected the two attacks with forensic evidence in January 2024. After this break, they launched a specific project finally to identify a suspect.

Following this renewed push, police identified Leikeze Cheruiyot, 22, as a suspect. However, Cheruiyot had since moved down to the United States, though police did not specify where.

Cheruiyot was since arrested and extradited. He appeared in court in Hamilton on Nov. 27 when he was denied bail.

He’s charged with:

• two counts of forcible confinement
• aggravated sexual assault
• breaking and entering to commit sexual assault
• sexual assault, and
• aggravated assault

These charges have not been proven in court.

“Hamilton Police would like to thank the community and the United States authorities for their assistance in bringing closure to these two victims. These were violent incidents that targeted vulnerable victims,” investigators wrote.

Anyone with information can call police at 905-540-5543 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).