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In FY2016, SAKI awarded the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) a $1.1-million grant, which they used to submit 300 sexual assault kits (SAKs) to a private laboratory for testing and update their current property/laboratory management information system. CMPD also used the funds to designate three full-time positions (a DNA criminalist, sexual assault advocate, and site coordinator) and two part-time police officers.
CMPD received an additional $837,342 in funding in FY2017, which ran through the end of FY2020 (September 30, 2020). Part of the additional funding was used to send more than 500 partially tested SAKs to an accredited laboratory and to hire a former assistant district attorney to help prepare the cases for prosecution.
In FY2018, CMPD received their third SAKI grant of $452,637 to begin collecting lawfully owed DNA to help populate the Combined DNA Index System. This grant funded a census of lawfully owed DNA in North Carolina, a site coordinator position for this specific award, and a DNA collection agent position. Though CMPD holds the grant, they are collecting lawfully owed DNA for the entire state of North Carolina in partnership with other agencies.
CMPD received $1,494,054 in their fourth SAKI grant, which was awarded in FY2019. These funds will be used to maintain project components developed in their FY2016 and FY2017 grants. CMPD will also be outsourcing the testing of secondary evidence in cases in which SAK testing did not provide probative results.
In FY2020, CMPD received an additional $587,891 in SAKI funding to continue work from their previous SAKI awards—including maintaining their multidisciplinary working group and other key project components. The funding will also be utilized to outsource DNA samples for forensic genetic genealogy testing, as well as to hire several part-time roles—including a criminalist to review sexual assault cold cases, a detective, and an assistant district attorney.
In FY2022, CMPD was awarded $2.5 million in additional SAKI funding to maintain the key stakeholders on their multidisciplinary working group, hire a site coordinator, and hire a victim advocate. Additionally, funding will be utilized to outsource secondary evidence testing for SAKs linked to 100 cases that failed to yield probative results to accredited private laboratories, including advanced DNA testing when needed.
In FY2023, SAKI awarded CMPD $900,000 to support its Lawfully Owed DNA Collection Initiative. CMPD has uploaded 977 profiles into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), resulting in 463 CODIS hits from work completed under CMPD's previous DANY (Office of the District Attorney, New York County) and SAKI grants. With the addition of lawfully owed DNA samples to CODIS, the identity of unknown offender profiles in the kits that have already been tested may be discovered. CMPD has been able to collaborate with 34 of North Carolina's 100 counties for census and collection activities and will continue to attempt to network with the other 66 counties. CMPD seeks to enhance investigations further through obtaining additional offender DNA profiles that should have been lawfully collected and maintained in the CODIS system.
CMPD received a second award in FY2023 in the amount of $2 million to investigate violent cold case crimes that are not sexually motivated. CMPD will conduct an inventory of all unresolved violent cold case crimes within CMPD's jurisdiction, designate a Site Coordinator to be the central point of contact and provide monitoring to ensure the team is meeting milestones, and establish a Multidisciplinary Working Group to address the factors that led to the number of unresolved violent cold case crimes within CMPD's jurisdiction, developing a comprehensive strategy to address the backlog and discussing ways to improve victim advocacy. Additionally, CPMD will use funds to hire a Crime Lab Technician to assist the Criminalist DNA Analysts in preparing case files and repackaging evidence to be sent to the vendor laboratory, outsource violent cold case crime evidence to a private lab for DNA and forensic genetic genealogical testing, provide overtime to the Criminalist DNA Analysts to review profiles developed from violent cold case crime evidence by the private lab for entry into CODIS, provide overtime for Violent Crime Detectives to conduct follow-up investigations and enter criteria cases into CODIS, and hire an Assistant District Attorney to research and prepare cases for prosecution that resulted from CODIS hits. Funding these efforts will allow CMPD to provide services to victims and enhance public safety for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community.
For more information on the specific SAKI awards for this site, see the table below.
| Year | Amount | Purpose Area |
|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | $1,125,606 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2017 | $837,342 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2018 | $452,637 | Expansion of DNA Databases to Assist with Sexual Assault Investigations and Prosecutions: Collection of Lawfully Owed DNA from Convicted Offenders and Arrestee DNA Collections |
| FY2019 | $1,494,054 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2020 | $587,891 | Investigation and Prosecution of Cold Case Sexual Assaults |
| FY2022 | $2,500,000 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2023 | $900,000 | Expansion of DNA Databases to Assist with Sexual Assault Investigations and Prosecutions: Collection of Lawfully Owed DNA from Convicted Offenders and Arrestee DNA Collections |
| FY2023 | $2,000,000 | National Cold Case Initiative |
Please direct all media inquiries to:
Serial rapist convicted in Charlotte cold cases
— WSOCTV.com News Staff, Jun 11, 2024
"Prosecutors say a serial rapist was convicted this week in three cases that date back to the early 1990s in Charlotte.
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office says LJ Bertha was sentenced to life after being convicted of rape and kidnapping.
According to the district attorney’s office, three survivors testified in a recent trial that began on May 20. Bertha, 64, was found guilty of first-degree rape, second-degree rape, two kidnapping counts, attempted second-degree sex offense and common law robbery."
Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Cold Case Unit have charged a suspect in a 28-year-old sexual assault cold case investigation.
— charlottenc.gov, May 9, 2023
"On June 17, 1994, at 1:30 a.m., a 39-year-old victim reported to CMPD that an unknown subject had broken into her residence and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint. A sexual assault kit was completed on the victim and analyzed. Additional testing of the evidence was conducted in 2018, and in 2019, the forensic samples from the scene were linked to another sex assault in Columbia, South Carolina that happened in 2010.
In 2022, with the assistance of funding from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), detectives utilized forensic genetic genealogy to identify a person of interest. A DNA sample was obtained from this subject, and it matched the DNA from both sexual assaults."
CMPD: ‘Myers Park rapist’ identified, tied to 15 sexual assaults in 1990s
— Brad Dickerson and Caroline Hicks , WBTV, Dec 6, 2021
FGG leads to identification of suspect in 15 sexual assaults mainly of minors in Charlotte, NC. Suspect died in 2008.
DNA match leads to arrest in 1989 sex assault, burglary cold case
— WSOC Staff, WSOC, Oct 20, 2021
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have arrested and charged a man with the 1989 burglary and rape of a 19-year-old woman thanks to a DNA match.
Suspect arrested in California for 1998 sex assault cold case in North Carolina
— Joey Gill, Fox 8, Sep 15, 2021
Investigators have arrested a 49-year-old man for an attempted sexual assault that occurred in 1998 in Charlotte of a then 48-year-old woman thanks to DNA evidence.
'Bound and sexually assaulted': Charlotte cold case cleared through DNA after nearly 30 years, police say
— Fox 46 Charlotte, Dec 18, 2019
A man is facing several charges including second-degree rape and kidnapping in connection to a sexual assault that occurred in the 1990s in southeast Charlotte, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Dead man charged in cold-case sex assault near Ballantyne in south Charlotte, cops say
— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, Dec 7, 2019
Police on Friday said they charged a convict who died in 2014 in connection with the 1993 sexual assault of a woman near Ballantyne in south Charlotte based on new DNA testing.
S.C. man arrested, accused of attempting to rape 83-year-old in 1991 Charlotte cold case
— WBTV Web Staff, WBTV, Oct 24, 2019
DNA from a previously unsubmitted sexual assault kit linked man to sexual assault from 1991.
Man charged in 2006 armed sexual assault of woman walking home in Charlotte
— WBTV Web Staff, WBTV, Aug 30, 2019
DNA evidence linked man to cold case sexual assault.
1995 COLD CASE: Woman feels free after rapist sentenced to prison
— Glenn Counts, WSOC TV, Aug 16, 2019
A DNA hit led to Christopher McNear’s arrest and conviction. He was sentenced to 16 to 21 years in prison.
Safety Matters- SAKI
— WSGE Radio, Jul 8, 2019
Charlotte SAKI Site Coordinator and Cold Case Detective discuss the importance of SAKI and what they are doing with thier grant.
Man charged in connection with second sexual assault cold case from 1994
— WBTV, May 30, 2019
CMPD has charged a man for his involvement in a second sexual assault cold case in Charlotte from 1994 after testing a sexual assualt kit that was partially tested previously using antiquated DNA methods.
24 years after a teen was raped near uptown Charlotte, DNA leads to an arrest
— Joe Marusak , The Charlotte Observer, Apr 12, 2019
Newly tested DNA evidence from a previously partially tested sexual assault kit led to an arrest of a suspect 24 years after a 16-year-old reported being attacked in Charlotte, NC.
‘Serial rapist’ accused in 1981 Charlotte sex assaults
— WIS News 10, Mar 22, 2019
DNA from 2 previously partially tested sexual assault kits from 1981 led to an arrest in Charlotte, NC.
2 women were raped on a Charlotte road in 1992. DNA leads to an arrest, police say
— Joe Marusak, The Charlotte Observer, Feb 8, 2019
DNA from two previously partially tested sexual assault kits from 1992 led to the arrest of a man in Charlotte, NC.
DNA Testing Nabs Suspect Sex Offender Linked To Rape Cold Case
— Kimberly Johnson, Patch, Nov 29, 2018
DNA evidence from a previously unsubmitted sexual assault kit tested under SAKI funds led to an arrest in a 23 year old cold case in Charlotte, NC.
The Defenders: Cold case unit investigating serial rape case
— Michelle Boudin, Mitzi Morris, WCNC, Nov 9, 2018
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's cold case unit, is hopeful that they can use new DNA technology and previously collected DNA evidence to solve a serial rape case that included 17 sexual assaults from 1990 - 1999 in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.
CMPD cold case unit arrests suspect in 1992 rape case
— WSOC TV, Oct 30, 2018
DNA from a previously submitted sexual assault kit led CMPD to arrest a suspect in a case from 1992.
DNA Testing Leads To Arrest Made In 26-Year-Old Sex Assault Case
— Kimberly Johnson, Charlotte Patch, Apr 13, 2018
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has made an arrest in a 26-year-old sexual assault case after testing a previously unsubmitted sexual assault kit.
CMPD charges sex offender with raping 2 teen girls in 1990, 1994
— Mark Becker, wsoctv.com, Mar 7, 2018
With the help of DNA evidence, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department arrested a registered sex offender for the rape of two girls in 1990 and 1994.
CMPD to get more resources to solve sex crimes
— Joe Bruno, WSOCTV, Feb 9, 2017
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is making strides to outsource sexual assault kit testing by entering into a new contract with Sorenson Forensics LLC. The funds for this nearly $250,000 contract are provided through the 2016 Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant from the Department of Justice. Read the full story to learn more.
CMPD Making Strides on Backlog of Untested Rape Kits
— Medium, Jan 24, 2017
In 2014, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department began inventorying unsubmitted sexual assault kits. During this process, they discovered 1,000 SAKs and that they needed a better way of tracking these kits. So far results have been received from 188 kits, 54 of which yielded DNA profiles, and 13 CODIS hits. Find out more about the CMPD survivor-focused approach to case investigation by reading the full story.
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative aims to create a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to sexual assault cases. Through this program, funding is provided to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
