DNA match links Florida convict to 2016 DeKalb kidnapping, assault
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A 42-year-old man was extradited to DeKalb County after a grand jury indicted him on charges of rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping in connection with a 2016 cold case.
What we know:
Julius Hunter was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Aug. 13 after a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted him on Aug. 11 for the assault of a 19-year-old woman, according to officials.
Investigators transported Hunter to Georgia, where he is being held in the DeKalb County Jail without bond, authorities said.
The case is assigned to DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie for arraignment, which will determine when a trial date is set.
The backstory:
On July 27, 2016, a teenager answered a Craigslist ad offering $300 for an overnight babysitting job, according to preliminary investigation details.
The man who posted the ad ordered a ride-share vehicle that delivered her to an apartment complex near 700 Jolly Avenue in Clarkston.
When she arrived, she saw two men but no children, and when she tried to leave, Hunter assaulted and raped her over several hours before releasing her the next day.
The victim took a cab, asked the driver to call 911, met police at a gas station and went to a hospital for a sexual assault examination.
Dig deeper:
In 2017, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed male DNA was present in the victim's sexual assault kit, though it initially yielded no match in the national Combined DNA Index System.
However, the GBI matched the DNA to an unidentified perpetrator in two other cold cases from DeKalb and Gwinnett counties from 2016 and 2017.
Florida authorities later collected Hunter’s DNA following a 2021 felony sexual battery conviction, which led to a CODIS match across all three Georgia kits.
Authorities said the perpetrator lured victims using Craigslist ads for jobs including babysitting, modeling, dancing and massages.
Some of those victims met the perpetrator at the same Jolly Avenue apartment complex in Clarkston.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not yet connected with the victims in the two matching cold cases from DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
Officials also do not know if Hunter committed additional unknown assaults across the region.
What you can do:
Anyone who believes they have information about Hunter or who may have been victimized by him is urged to call the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Tip Line at 404-371-2444.
The investigation involves the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force, a multi-agency team formed in 2018 that includes prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates working alongside the GBI Crime Lab.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, which explained the indictment, arrest details, DNA matching timeline and tip line information.