Charlotte-area serial rapist sentenced to life in prison

Unsolved cases dating back 30 years are now closed in North Carolina and a serial rapist will spend the rest of his life behind bars. A jury found 64-year-old LJ Bertha guilty of first-degree rape, kidnapping and common robbery on Monday, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office said.

Bertha is linked to several unsolved cases in Charlotte, including sexual assaults on women in 1993 and 1994. In both cases, serology tests were conducted in 2023, confirming that Bertha was the suspect.

The two victims, as well as a third victim who was attacked in 1996, testified in the trial on Monday. Bertha had already been convicted of the 1996 attack in 1997 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He is not entitled to early release.