A career criminal facing life in prison for knifepoint home invasions across Manhattan waltzed free from Rikers after bungling prosecutors botched the most basic parts of criminal procedure, The Post has learned.
The DA’s Office has a mountain of evidence against career criminal William Rodriguez, 54 — he was picked out of lineups and left DNA behind — but waited so long to request a sample that a Manhattan judge had no choice but to grant a defense motion to spring him from jail.
Rodriguez walked out from Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday after 18 months at Rikers Island.
“The DA just completely dropped the ball,” said a legal source.
Rodriguez, of Davidson Avenue in The Bronx, was arrested in November 2009 after cops nabbed him in a terrifying home-invasion spree across Manhattan.
Five victims — many of whom were nannies and housekeepers at posh apartments in the West Village and Upper West Side — fingered him in lineups, saying he forced his way into the homes with a large knife, tied them up with phone cords and cleaned out the places.
He posed as a UPS deliveryman in two of the attacks, which were committed in front of terrified children, according to the indictment. He made off with cash, jewels and electronics.
He had 17 prior arrests, including one for attempting to shoot an NYPD officer in 1988.
In December 2009, a grand jury indicted Rodriguez on five counts of burglary, robbery and other charges — and he faces 25 years to life.
But the DA’s Office took 16 months to request a DNA swab from Rodriguez and provide the results, the court papers show. Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s DNA was already in the state’s database.
Wednesday, Rodriguez’s public defender argued that the indictment should be thrown out and his client released.
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Richard Carruthers did not throw out the charges but allowed Rodriguez to go free without bail.
“This guy is supposed to spend the rest of life in jail. It was the DA’s fault,” the legal source said.
Rodriguez is now back at Rikers. He was rearrested Friday after failing to report to his Nassau County parole officer Thursday.
The Manhattan DA’s Office declined to comment, other than to confirm that Rodriguez was back in custody.