News

Lansing Man Sentenced up to 80 years in 2012 Cold-Case Sexual Assault
— Michigan.gov, Feb 14, 2024

"Today, Judge James Jamo in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County sentenced Marshawn James Curtis, 30, of Lansing, to 17.5 - 80 years for a rape committed in 2012, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane. Curtis was found guilty of one count of first-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct by an Ingham County jury on December 1st following a cold-case investigation and prosecution by the Ingham/Jackson Regional Sexual Assault Team."

Second man arrested in connection with 2008 rape of Davenport woman
— Thomas Geyer, The Dispatch Argus, Feb 14, 2024

"A second man has been arrested in connection with the 2008 rape of a Davenport woman, police said. Christopher Craig McVay Jr., 37, is charged in Scott County District Court with one count of second-degree sexual abuse. The charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 years."

Specialized Boston police sex assault unit marks first conviction
— Karen Anderson & Kevin Rothstein, WCVB 5, Feb 14, 2024

"A specialized Boston police unit investigating sexual assaults has reached a milestone: its first conviction. William Mancortes pled guilty in Suffolk Superior Court last December and was sentenced to 10-12 years in prison for raping two women who thought he was an Uber driver."

Davenport Police link DNA to 2008 sexual assault
— Linda Cook, ourquadcities.com, Feb 10, 2024

"A 35-year-old Davenport man is in custody after law enforcement allege DNA is connected to a sexual assault from 2008. Samuel Thompson faces a felony charge of second-degree sexual abuse, court records show. On Jan. 31, 2018, Davenport Police submitted the sexual assault kit as part of the SAKI (The National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) Project. On Sept. 20, 2023, Davenport Police received notification from DCI of a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) hit on the male DNA located in the sexual assault kit submitted in this case. The CODIS hit was for the co-defendant in this case, according to affidavits."

Justice delayed 'but not denied' | Man convicted in 35-year-old rape in Memphis
— Kim Chaney, Localmemphis.com, Feb 6, 2024

"The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that a man has been convicted in a rape 35 years ago. D.A. Steve Mulroy said Tony Stafford was found guilty of the rape of an 18-year-old woman in 1988. He will be sentenced March 7. The D.A. said at the time of the rape, no suspects were identified. Then in 2015, rape kit swabs and clothing were sent out for testing, and results came back in 2016. That was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), and in 2018, Tony Stafford was identified as the suspect. The D.A. said Stafford had prior convictions for sex offenses in Washington County, Tennessee, and Utah."

Durham snags $1.15M federal grant to test rape evidence kits, prosecute sex crime cold cases
— CBS11 (WTVD), Jan 25, 2024

"The push to get justice for more victims of sexual assault crimes in Durham got a boost Tuesday. The Durham County District Attorney's Office announced it had received a federal grant worth $1.15 million to continue the prosecution of cases charged as the result of sexual assault evidence kits."

Man charged in 1998 Raleigh rape case, given $3 million bond
— WRAL News, Jan 25, 2024

"A man has been charged in connection with a decades-old rape case in Raleigh after a sexual assault kit and DNA database brought new evidence to light. Averette Alston was charged for his alleged role in a sexual assault from Aug. 26, 1998, on South State Street."

Aggressive effort to clear Dallas backlog of sexual assault cases continues
— Alicia Barrera, NBCDFW, Jan 23, 2024

"The Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office continue their aggressive efforts to clear old sexual assault cases. “We owe it to our survivors, and it's incredibly important to us. So, that's why we really wanted to push to make sure that we are on track,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said."

Man Connected to Two Cold-Case Sexual Assaults Convicted Thanks to Dallas County Sex Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Grant Team
— Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Jan 19, 2024

"A man whose DNA directly tied him to two Dallas County cold-case sexual assaults has been sentenced to 60 years in prison under the leadership of Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot. Adrian Cortes was found guilty by a Dallas County jury after just 19 minutes of deliberation. They later sentenced the 61-year-old to 60 years in prison. At the time of trial, 28 years had passed since the initial assault. Despite the passage of time, both victim survivors testified at trial. “Sometimes the system fails survivors of sexual assault. The mission of the SAKI project is to go back and right those wrongs. Every single woman in Dallas County deserves justice for the life-changing tragedy that was forced on them, whether it was perpetrated last night, last decade, or in this case, last century,” said lead prosecutor and member of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office SAKI Team Deborah Bankhead."

Advanced DNA technology solves nearly 20-year-old case
— Amanda Ruiz, news.yahoo.com, Jan 9, 2024

"A nearly two-decades-cold case in Mills County was solved by local law enforcement officials and new DNA technology. Sheriff Pool says the Texas Rangers met with the office in 2021 and did a familial DNA search on the drop of blood. This was new technology made possible by the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI, a federal grant for advanced DNA testing. ""They actually came back with a familial hit on it,"" he said."