Serial rapist with ties to unsolved North Carolina cases sentenced to life in prison

CHARLOTTE (NEWS FROM QUEEN CITY) — A serial rapist involved in several unsolved cases in Charlotte was sentenced to life in prison Monday, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

A jury found LJ Bertha, 64, guilty of first-degree rape, second-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and robbery. Bertha was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Court documents state that in October 1993, a woman was parked in front of a shopping center near Freedom Drive when Bertha kicked out the driver’s side window and forced her to pull over and let him drive before sexually assaulting her and threatening to kill her.

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The victim was found nearby by police and later serological tests were conducted. In 2023, Bertha was confirmed as a suspect.

Court documents also stated that in 1994, a woman was walking on Beatties Ford Road when Bertha approached her and sexually assaulted her while armed with a box cutter. Serological tests were later conducted and Bertha was confirmed as a suspect in 2023.

Both victims, as well as a third victim who was attacked in 1996, testified during the trial. Bertha had already been sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1997 for the 1996 attack.