Here is NY Times letter:

To the Editor:

Re "Prosecutor Seeks to End Time Limit in Rape Cases" (news article, April 29):

The Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, is right to call for eliminating the statute of limitations in rape cases. There is no statute of limitations for murder because society understands that murder is so serious a crime that a perpetrator should never go free simply because five or more years have passed since the offense. The same is true of rape, a crime that can destroy or derail lives.

The availability and absolute reliability of DNA evidence only underscore the need to amend this law, which makes it impossible in many cases to prosecute those who are indisputably guilty of truly heinous crimes.

Sonia Ossorio
President, National Organization for Women
New York, April 30, 2005

No, this is crazy. Murder is a vastly more heinous crime. After 5 years, the murdered body is still dead.

When there is a dead body, there is rarely any doubt as to whether a crime was committed. Rape cases usually depend on the believability of the alleged victim. Imagine how difficult it would be to try Kobe Bryant after 5 years.