DeKalb County serial rapist gets life after emotional hearing: 'I was 16 years old'

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A 64-year-old DeKalb County man entered a guilty plea on Thursday for a series of violent sexual assaults spanning several years. 

Wesley Cooley pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated sodomy, criminal attempt to commit rape, and aggravated assault.

The charges involve four female victims who were between the ages of 16 and 26 at the time of the attacks. Prosecutors described a consistent pattern where Cooley approached young women who were alone, offered them rides or assistance in various vehicles—including a green sedan, a white pickup truck, and a gray SUV—before driving them to secondary locations to assault them.

Following his plea, a judge sentenced Cooley to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 50 years.

Wesley Cooley sentenced

What we know:

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced 64-year-old Wesley Cooley to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday. The sentence, which includes an additional 50 years to be served consecutively, follows Cooley's guilty plea to three counts of rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated sodomy, criminal attempt to commit rape, and aggravated assault.

The conviction covers four specific cases in DeKalb County between 2012 and 2017 involving victims aged 16 to 28. Prosecutors outlined a chillingly consistent "fact pattern" where Cooley targeted lone women under the guise of being a "Good Samaritan."

In one 2013 case, Cooley approached a 16-year-old girl on the bleachers behind Miller Grove High School. After she repeatedly declined a ride, Cooley offered her a job at a grocery store to build rapport. Once she finally accepted the ride, he drove to a driveway in a subdivision to "pick something up" and raped her.

In a 2017 incident, Cooley forced a victim’s hand by loading her luggage into his white pickup truck while she was in a gas station restroom. After she refused his offer of money to "spend the day with him," he drove her to the Northlake Inn and assaulted her.

Serial rape cases

Timeline:

While Cooley was active for decades, a 2017 mistake eventually led to his downfall:

• Oct. 16, 2012: An 18-year-old is raped near Redan and South Hairston Road after Cooley missed a turn in his green sedan.
• Feb. 18, 2013: A 16-year-old is assaulted in the Sandstone Subdivision after being lured from her high school.
• April 25, 2017: A 28-year-old is assaulted at the Northlake Inn after Cooley took her luggage.
• Oct. 16, 2017: A 19-year-old panhandling on Memorial Drive is lured to a home with the promise of food stamps. Cooley threatened her with a brick and strangled her, but she escaped naked to a neighbor's house to call 911.
• Late 2017: Law enforcement arrests Cooley for the attempted rape after finding the victim’s purse in his Dodge SUV.
• January 2020: The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (GASAKI) confirms Cooley is a DNA match for multiple cases dating back to 1999.
• April 2022: A DeKalb County Grand Jury indicts Cooley.

DNA evidence

The backstory:

While Cooley was initially arrested in October 2017 following an attempted rape where the victim escaped, his connection to previous crimes remained unknown for years. The breakthrough came through the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (Saki) Task Force, which began investigating DNA from an unknown perpetrator linked to cases in DeKalb, Fulton, and Rockdale counties dating back to 1999.

In 2020, a DeKalb County Police detective received a DNA match linking the April 2017 case to the unidentified offender in the older files. Forensic evidence eventually solidified Cooley as the suspect in the entire string of assaults.

‘He forced me in his car’

What they're saying:

The court heard emotional testimony and impact statements from victims who described the long-term psychological toll of Cooley’s actions. One victim shared in a statement that the assault fundamentally altered her worldview. "What happened to me wasn’t just a moment in time; it had lasting effects on my life, my sense of safety, and my trust in others," she said.

Another victim, who was only 16 at the time of her encounter with Cooley, spoke of the life-altering nature of the attack. "On that walk, I was unfortunate enough to come across paths with the defendant," she said. "He forced me in his car and raped me and took away my innocence and my virginity. I was 16 years old."

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston emphasized the importance of the life sentence in removing a predator from the community. "No matter how much time is passed, it's important that we hold dangerous offenders accountable and send the message that those who prey upon the people of DeKalb County and metro Atlanta will be brought to justice," said Boston.

Cancer diagnosis 

The other side:

During the sentencing, the defense pointed to Cooley’s health as a factor for consideration. Cooley’s attorney stated that the 64-year-old has been diagnosed with cancer and suffers from ongoing heart issues. Despite these health revelations and the emotional testimony from survivors, the judge handed down the maximum possible sentence.

Other investigations

What's next:

While the DeKalb County cases have reached a resolution, Cooley has been linked to nearly a dozen attacks dating back to 1999 across multiple jurisdictions. District Attorney Boston indicated that other jurisdictions were waiting to see the outcome of the DeKalb prosecution before deciding how to proceed. However, with the current sentence, she noted that officials have solidified that Mr. Cooley will not be exiting the prison.