Central Florida rape suspect's attorney addresses client's prior jail release: 'It’s not luck; it’s the law'

ORLANDO, Fla. - A suspected serial rapist is behind bars again, according to Andrew Bain, Florida State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

"We’re after this guy; we really want him off the streets," Bain said. "We want to make sure we’re going to be able to hold him accountable."

According to court records, Vincent Laing was arrested in Orange County in August 2023 when investigators connected him to two different rapes. In both incidents, the women were held at knifepoint. In one of the cases, charges were not filed within the 33-day deadline, and the case was closed in February 2024.

"We didn’t have enough evidence to get it beyond a reasonable doubt to hold him on that case and charge him on that case," Bain said. "Every time something like this happens, it’s disappointing because that means another individual that’s been injured, another citizen in our community has been harmed, somebody else has now been victimized."

In the second rape case, charges were filed. Then, a judge granted a $125,000 bond in November 2023. Laing walked out of jail in February 2024.

During his few months of freedom, police said he raped another woman at knifepoint. This time, according to a police report, it happened in West Palm Beach. A similar M.O. (modus operandi) as the other rape investigations. Laing is accused of raping the women at knifepoint in vacant residences while recording the acts.

 Rajan Joshi’s firm represents Laing. The firm helped Laing secure a bond and get released. 

 "He’s got lawyers who fight for him and who overturn every stone and dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T,’" Joshi said. "It’s not luck; it’s the law."

 Joshi said Laing maintains he is innocent.

 "I’ve seen cases similar to this, and when the truth comes out a lot of times, these allegations all turn out to be false. There are multiple allegations from multiple people, but the state only filed on one charge."

FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie asked Joshi why he thought that was.

"Credibility issues… the state has a certain burden, they have a certain ethical obligation before they file charges, and obviously, they think they didn’t have enough on those other charges. The one charge that they did file on has a lot of holes and a lot of issues with it, and we plan to attack those holes."

Bain said he and his office are focused on the victims.  

 "He’s a very dangerous individual that seems to commit the same offense over and over again. You want to title it serial? We’ll call it that," Bain said. "But, right now, my whole purpose and whole goal is to make sure we’re providing the best justice for each individual."

 A detective with the Orlando Police Department has confirmed that she has worked on five cases in which Laing is a suspect. Details on those cases have yet to be released.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.