A former Philly homicide detective is facing more sexual assault charges, the DA’s Office says

A former Philadelphia homicide detective — already charged with sexually assaulting a victim’s mother — was charged Thursday with additional crimes after prosecutors said he raped another woman he met in the course of his job.

Donald Suchinsky, 57, faces charges including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and official oppression, said Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Suchinsky had sex about 10 times over five years with the sister of a man who was killed in 2017 — a case he was assigned to investigate. He also used threatening language to intimidate her to stay silent, prosecutors said.

A lawyer for Suchinsky declined to provide immediate comment.

Suchinsky spent 34 years in the Police Department but was fired earlier this year after prosecutors charged him with counts including aggravated indecent assault, official oppression, and stalking.

Those charges stemmed from accusations made by a woman whose son was killed in the fall of 2020. She told authorities that shortly after she met Suchinsky — who was assigned to investigate her son’s murder — he began communicating with her in ways that were odd and unrelated to the investigation, including calling and emailing her to ask for photos of herself or suggesting that the two of them should meet up.

At one point, the woman said, she drove to the former police headquarters for an update on the case, and Suchinsky got into her car to help her look for a parking space. As they drove around, she said, Suchinsky, while in the passenger seat, began groping her and digitally penetrated her.

“I was frozen,” the woman said at a preliminary hearing last month. “A little numb.”

(The Inquirer does not identify victims of sexual assault without their permission.)

The woman reported the incident to the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division. Suchinsky was benched as police investigated.

The woman later filed a federal lawsuit over what she said was the Police Department’s failure to stop a pattern of sexual misconduct by its officers. Her suit was filed just weeks after former city homicide detective Philip Nordo was sentenced to at least 24½ years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting witnesses and informants in murder cases.

Prosecutors charged Suchinsky in February, leading to his dismissal from the force.

Suchinsky has not commented publicly on the allegations. He pleaded not guilty in the first case, which is pending trial.