News

Inside look at how New Orleans DA's Office unit uses DNA to crack years-old rape cases
— Matt Sledge, The Advocate, Jul 18, 2018

The New Orleans District Attorney's Office has used SAKI funding to reopen old rape cases. So far, prosecutor's have used DNA to solve 17 crimes including a case from 1986.

Man indicted in Louisville rape case from 1983 thanks to DNA testing
— Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, Jul 18, 2018

A Kentucky man already serving a 200-year prison sentence for rape has been linked through DNA testing to a 1983 rape.

DNA links La. inmate to 1988 New Orleans rape: DA
— Heather Nolan, The Times-Picayune, Jul 12, 2018

A Louisiana man currently serving time for attempted rape has been linked via DNA to a 30-year-old rape case in New Orleans.

Legacy of ‘redlining’: How 1930s Cleveland mortgage-lending maps mirror today’s poverty
— Colin McEwen, The Daily, Jul 5, 2018

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University analyzed banking and lending maps of Cleveland from the 1930s and found that locations where unsubmitted SAKs were the highest are the same neighborhoods with the highest levels of lead found in the blood of children.

SAKI TTA Webinar: ViCAP: A Powerful Tool to Track and Analyze Crimes of Serial Sex Offenders
— SAKI TTA, Jul 2, 2018

This webinar was presented by Patricia Powers, Attorney Advisor with AEquitas and Jeramy (Amy) Mills, Sergeant of Police, Dallas (TX) Police Department. The testing of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits throughout the country has confirmed the experiential and social science findings- that a significant number of rapists are serial offenders, assaulting multiple victims over the course of years or decades. SAKI results have demonstrated the continuum of serial predation: some offenders target individuals known to them, others assault strangers, and many are “crossover” offenders who assault victims who are both known and unknown to them. An analysis of key similarities in sexual assaults committed by the same offender often provides critical evidence and insight relevant to the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

Governor signs sexual assault bill
— Makayla Clark, KTVA, Jun 29, 2018

Governor Bill Walker signed a bill into law requiring untested SAKs be reported yearly, reporting of sexual assault to be victim centered, and requires police academies to have 12 hours of sexual assault training.

Never Tested | 15-Year-Old Rape Kit Leads Police to Accused Georgia Serial Rapist
— Christopher Buchanan, WLTX19, Jun 28, 2018

DNA from a previously untested SAK identifies a serial sexual offender. He has now been indicted for a series of sexual assaults that occurred between 2001-2005.

Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Results in Conviction of Curtis Williams
— Portland Police Bureau, Jun 28, 2018

Testing results from Portland Police Bureau's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative lead to conviction in 2011 case. The man was previously convicted of rape in 1986.

SAKI TTA Webinar: Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Evidence Tracking: From the Voices of Experience
— SAKI TTA, Jun 27, 2018

This webinar was presented by two SAKI sites including the Portland Police Bureau and Washington State. Idaho State Police also presented. Idaho State Police Forensic Services developed a sexual assault kit tracking tool from scratch with an in-house team and programmers. After becoming the first state-wide sexual assault kit tracking system in the country to be fully functional, Idaho State Police Forensic Services have continued to refine the system and account for every SAK on law enforcement shelves in Idaho. Portland Police Bureau presented on understanding the benefits of an evidence tracking system by analyzing user needs and leveraging the data agencies already collect.

SAKI TTA Webinar: Cross-Examining the Defendant: Seizing the Opportunity for Justice
— SAKI TTA, Jun 20, 2018

This webinar was presented by Patti D. Powers (JD), Attorney Advisor at AEquitas. Cross-examination of a defendant is one of the most singular opportunities in a trial for a prosecutor to show the jury who the defendant is and what the defendant did to the victim. In a cold case sexual assault, the passage of time usually only amplifies the potential returns inherent in cross-examination. Developing a cross-examination strategy may not be initially apparent to a prosecutor. However, the same principles of planning and preparation that went into building the rest of the prosecution case can also be applied to effective and dispositive defendant cross-examinations.