V I tbrin *rn One hundred four years of editorial freedom .. : -DNA test may tie suspect to serial rapes First DNA probes reportedly match DNA profile of suspect in 5 rapes By FRANK C. LEE Daily Staff Reporter Preliminary DNA test results have linked a local man with a series of Ann Arbor rapes, according to pub- lished reports. Mexico * looks for U.S. help with peso The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Mexico's fi- onancial markets rallied from two days of heavy losses yesterday after Presi- dent Clinton declared the United States stands ready to extend addi- tional financial assistance to help sta- bilize its southern neighbor's battered economy. Clinton, pronouncing the precipi- tous tumble of the peso a "short-term crisis," said he is prepared to raise the $9 billion credit line Mexico has with the Treasury and will consider ex- tending the period for repayment of that money from the current six months. "We may have more to say specifically in the days ahead," Clinton said. "The United States is committed to doing what we can to help Mexico through what I believe is and should be a short-term crisis," Clinton told a *news conference following a White House meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. "I have confidence in the long-term future of Mexico. ... It is in America's eco- nomic and strategic interest that Mexico succeeds." Robert E. Rubin, who was sworn in as Treasury secretary Tuesday night, spent much of his first day on the job consulting with lawmakers about the situation in Mexico, ac- cording to sources familiar with the conversations. Clinton also called on the world's multilateral development banks to provide additional financial support for Mexico. The World Bank dispatched 30 officials to Mexico to discuss terms of possible financial assistance and to 0provide technical expertise in the sale of state-owned enterprises. Mexico's main stock index, known as the Bolsa, plummeted more than 5 percent in early trading, then turned upward after the presi- dential palace in Mexico City re- leased a transcript of Clinton's re- marks at the White House. The mar- ket ended the day up 55.54 points, *or 2.82 percent, at 2027.87 after losing more than 190 points- 12.5 percent of its value - Monday and Tuesday. At one point, traders said, the government's domestic development bank intervened and bought stocks in an effort to ensure that the market closed in the plus column. The peso also registered slight gains after dropping Tuesday to 5.8 to *the U.S. dollar on international ex- changes. Yestersday it closed at an average 5.65. The first two DNA probes of Ervin D. Mitchell Jr.'s blood sample report- edly matched the DNA profile of a man believed to have raped five women. One of the attacks resulted in a homicide. Sgt. Phil Scheel, spokesman for the Ann Arbor Police Department, said the police are waiting for more conclusive probes to be done before formally charging Mitchell with the sexual assaults. Eight more DNA probes will be run on the sample at the Michigan State Police Crime Lab in East Lan- sing. With each successive probe, the likelihood that the DNA from the crime scenes is Mitchell's greatly in- creases. "(Lab technicians) break the DNA down so much at each step or each probe of the testing," Scheel said. "Generally, the first two probes can be done in two to three weeks. Then it takes 10 days to two weeks for each successive probe after that. "To get through the whole process of six, seven, eight probes - or how- ever far they can break down a par- ticular sample -- can take several weeks, even three or four months." Dr. David Ginsberg, an internal medicine and human genetics profes- sor and a University DNA expert, said such evidence alone can lead to a conviction in court. "In rape cases, (DNA analysis) has been a particularly effective tool because rapists generally tend to leave behind a sample of their own DNA," Ginsberg said. "Semen is basically just a bag of DNA. It's a very good source of DNA." DNA samples of that sort are dif- ficult to leave behind in an innocuous way, Ginsberg said. "When the se- men sample is there, it's a little bit See MATCH, Page 2 Suspect Timeline Oct. 13 --Last reported rape; police obtain best known description of suspect: Dec. 24 - Woman is assaulted and robbed in same pattern of earlier rapes; attacker flees Dec. 25 - Ervin D. Mitchell Jr. is arrested in connection with robbery and assault charges. Jan. 11 - Preliminary tests match Mitchell's DNA with samples found at previous crime scenes "cancer can be overcome... No matter what adversity people face they can go on and lead full lives." -LS A senior Mike Petrilli Chechen leader emerges, calls for peace talks Los Angeles Times KHASAVYURT, Russia -- Con- founding a claim by Russian intelli- gence that he "no longer exists," the president of secessionist Chechnya reappeared from hiding in his war- racked capital yesterday and declared that neither the Russian army nor his guerrillas can win the month-old con- flict. Gen. Dzokhar Dudayev, looking pale and tired but spirited, called again for peace talks and said he is willing to recognize that the Kremlin has le- gitimate interests in this Caucasus Mountain region. But he offered no new proposal and gave no sign of bowing to Moscow's demands that he drop his tiny Muslim republic's 3- year-old claim of independence and disarm his rebels. Dudayev's 15-minute news con- ference in the heavily guarded cafete- ria of an oil-refinery workers' clinic on the edge of Grozny, the Chechen capital, was the most dramatic event on a day of anti-war posturing in the Russian Parliament and unease in the Kremlin over the Russian army's bun- gling of the campaign. Russian President Boris Yeltsin met with his prime minister and lead- ers of both houses of Parliament, and they discussed removing Gen. Pavel Grachev as commander of the army's general staff while leaving him in the post of defense minister. The talk of slashing Grachev's powers was the first sign of what may be a long process of official recrimi- nations over the invasion of Chechnya. While so far failing to capture Grozny, the campaign has cost the Russian army hundreds of lives, scores of tanks and whatever was left of its super- power prestige. One Russian law- maker just back from Grozny esti- mated 1,500 Russian army dead - six times the official army estimate. Yeltsin's office announced that the Kremlin meeting also produced agreement to investigate how half the weapons in Chechnya that belonged to the former Soviet armed forces had been handed over to Dudayev in 1992. Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, the last So- viet defense minister, asserted this week that Grachev had ordered the turnover. So far, Yeltsin has remained loyal to Grachev and his other security min- isters, prompting the president's crit- ics to charge that they pushed him See CHECHNYA, Page 2 GOP passes first major. le0gislation MICHAEL FITZHUGH/Daily Mike Petrilli plans to travel across the country as part of Pi Kappa Phi's Journey of Hope. Sdee t Student ndes blike for chanty By JENNIFER HARVEY Daily Staff Reporter Lots of University students ride bikes. Some ride to class in Angell Hall, some ride to Zingerman's for lunch. Some, like LSA senior Mike Petrilli, ride from San Francisco to Charleston, South Carolina. Beginning June 11, Petrilli will be cycling to raise money in the 8th annual Journey of Hope, a 63-day bicycle trek to benefit PUSH America. "i'm excited by the challenge of it," Petrilli said. PUSH America, a non-profit or- abilities, was founded by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, in which Petrilli is a brother. The Journey of Hope is not the first challenge that Petrilli has faced in his life. During his senior year of high school, he was diagnosed with cancer. Petrilli endured heavy chemo- therapy and multiple hospitalizations. Although he came close to death on several occasions, Petrilli was deter- mined to beat his disease. Petrilli has made a full physical recovery. Indeed, he has begun train- ing for the grueling bike trek. Currently, Petrilli works out for about an hour every day. He will be increasing his training as the trip approaches. He hopes that by April, he will be able to ride outside for a couple hours each day. "By May, my training will be really intense," Petrilli said. In addition to training and at- tending classes, Petrilli serves as the president of University Students Against Cancer. He also recently co-founded Project Smile, a group dedicated to making the University more friendly. PUSH America helps children and adults with disabilities in a va- See BIKE, Page 2 Workplace rules sail through; other parts of Contract for America stalled The Washington Post WASHINGTON - The Senate last night approved on a bipartisan vote the first major initiative of the Republican-led 104th Congress: a bill to force the House and Senate to com- ply with the anti-discrimination, safety and other workplace rules they im- pose on other employers. The vote was 98 to 1, with Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) casting the only dissenting vote. The House already has approved similar legislation, and Rep. Christo- pher Shays (R-Conn.), chief sponsor of the House version, said the bill will be on President Clinton's desk by the end of the month. Clinton has said he will sign the measure. The House could either accept the Senate version or resolve minor differences in a con- ference. The bill was part of the list of Republican campaign promises that helped the party take control of both houses in the Nov. 8 elections. But two other promises - the constitu- tional amendment to balance the bud- get and term limits for members of Congress - ran into trouble in the House. While the 36,000 employees of Congress and its agencies already are covered to some extent by many of the laws, the legislation is being touted by GOP leaders as emblematic of the new majority party's intention to over- haul Congress and end what they have decried as the privileged status of members. No longer will there be "two sets of laws - one for Capitol Hill and one for the rest of the country; one for Pennsylvania Ave, D.C., and another for Main Street, U.S.A.," said Sen. Charles S. Grassley (R-lowa), the bill's chief sponsor in the Senate. See SENATE, Page 2 ganization serving people with dis- m 'U' employees may file suit on basis of *racial harassment By JOSH WHITE Daily Staff Reporter As part of a plan to fight what they call "racism" at the University, three Dental School employees are preparing INSIDE Blue ekes out 2 OT victory over Hawks WEEKEND ETC. Check out an interview with Changing Faces, the duo responsible for the hit single "Stroke You Up." NEWS 3 By PAUL BARGER Daily Basketball Writer Wednesday night's wish list was very lengthy and ambitious. The Michigan men's basketball allows us to say that we're better than how we've been playing. It was a great team victory for Michigan." It was quite apparent for most of the second half that the game would Michigan's Legislature kicked =..: