News

Man serving time for ’94 rape pleads guilty to ’92 rape
— Regina Mobley, wavy.com, Nov 7, 2024

"Her parent’s grave site is the place where Margaret Smith stopped to process the end of a long road to justice. For years, her parents supported the young mother who never gave up hope that one day police would find the suspect and put him behind bars. It went unsolved Up until we got a DNA hit back through the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault initiative,” Williams said. Scott was charged with burglary, Entering a house to rape, malicious wounding, attempted sodomy, and abduction in the Ghent case."

Orleans Parish DA’s Office Secures Life Sentence For Multiple Sex Abuse Offenses, Makes Public Appeal for Survivor Supports
— Orleans Parish DA, Nov 5, 2024

"On Monday, November 4, 2024, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced the conviction and life sentences of Navarri Henderson for three separate, violent crimes that included sexual assault and domestic abuse. This significant outcome is a testament to the unwavering bravery of the survivors who came forward and the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and medical professionals who supported their pursuit of justice. “Today’s sentence is not just a win for these courageous survivors but a victory for every survivor who continues to fight for justice,” said DA Jason Williams. “Their strength and resilience are a beacon of hope for our entire community.”

Virginia Police Arrest Man in 33-Year-Old Cold Case Murder
— Country Herald Police Reports, Oct 24, 2024

"Richmond, VA – Virginia State Police arrested Ives T. Fortune, 62, of Tappahannock, for the 1991 murder of Jennie Lee Johnson. Johnson’s body was found in a field in King and Queen County in November 1991, and her case remained unsolved for nearly 33 years. Investigators credited advancements in DNA technology and the work of the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative for this break. The evidence was retested by DNA Labs International, leading to the arrest. Colonel Gary T. Settle of the Virginia State Police praised the dedication of agents and analysts in closing the case."

44-year-old arrested on capital murder charge in North Texas cold case from 2008, police say
— Harriet Ramos, MSN.com, Oct 18, 2024

"A 44-year-old has been arrested in connection with the 2008 murder of a North Texas man, police said. Jerry Lee Gardner was arrested in Lufkin in East Texas on Oct. 4, Grand Prairie police said in an Oct. 16 news release. He faces a capital murder charge. Gardner is accused of killing 45-year-old Raymond Hernandez in August 2008. Grand Prairie firefighters found Hernandez’s body when they responded to a blaze in the 2600 block of Channing Drive. An autopsy showed Hernandez was a homicide victim, according to the release."

Raleigh police arrest 58-year-old man connected to 1998 sexual assault case
— WRAL staff, Oct 11, 2024

"The Raleigh Police Department arrested a man on Thursday in connection with a sexual assault case from 1998. David Lee Toney, 58, is facing the following charges: Evidence in this case was gathered as part of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) launched by the North Carolina Department of Justice."

One case at a time, one victim at a time': An inside look at the lab where rape kits are tested for Jefferson County
— Jon Paepcke, WVTM13, Oct 4, 2024

"Scientists in Hoover are making significant progress in clearing Jefferson County's backlog of untested rape kits, which date back to the 1990s. So far, Jefferson County's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative team has sent the lab 2,735 rape kits, or 68 percent of the backlog, for testing. Based on the lab's ability to test fifty a month, that backlog should be eliminated in the next two years."

‘This man was a predator': Georgetown, UMD serial rape suspect arrested
— Mark Segraves, News4 Reporter and NBC Washington Staff, Oct 2, 2024

"A man was arrested years after police say he repeatedly broke into women’s homes and raped them in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood and near the University of Maryland. Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, of Arlington, was arrested Tuesday and charged in five home invasion rapes in Georgetown and one offense near UMD, from June 2008 through Aug. 2012, D.C. police said Wednesday.""A man was arrested years after police say he repeatedly broke into women’s homes and raped them in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood and near the University of Maryland. Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, of Arlington, was arrested Tuesday and charged in five home invasion rapes in Georgetown and one offense near UMD, from June 2008 through Aug. 2012, D.C. police said Wednesday."

Man found guilty of rape in 1992 Virginia cold case after DNA retested with new technology
— JeanneTyler Moodee Lockman, WJLA.com, Sep 26, 2024

"A man was found guilty Wednesday of rape and armed burglary in a 1992 cold case that was reopened in Norfolk, Virginia due to a new DNA testing initiative, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. On May 5, 1992, a woman was in her home with her three sleeping children when a man came in through one of the children’s bedroom windows armed with a knife, according to court documents on the 32-year-old case. The man, identified as Vernon Lorenzo Gay, found the woman in her bedroom and raped her, according to court documents."

DNA leads to Lubbock man’s arrest 10 years after sexual assault
— Caitlyn Rooney, msn.com, Sep 25, 2024

"Court documents recently obtained by EverythingLubbock.com revealed Johnny Joe Sanchez, Sr., 48, was arrested and accused of Sexual Assault after DNA results came back with a positive match 10 years after the crime happened. According to online jail records, Sanchez was arrested in the 200 block of University Avenue on September 20 by the Texas Department of Public Safety."

Texas Rangers Solve 40-Year-Old Ector County Cold Case Murder, Suspect Pleads Guilty
— Texas Department of Public Safety, Sep 25, 2024

"The man who pled guilty to a decades-old cold case murder in Ector County will spend the next 20 years behind bars. Billy Wayne Ludwigson, 62, was arrested by the Texas Rangers after years of investigation. He pled guilty to the murder of 64-year-old Velma Nesset and was sentenced by an Ector County jury in August. Then, in 2020, Nesset’s case was identified as being eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program which is funded by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ/BJA). DOJ/BJA provide investigative funding for agencies across the United States to further unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides with the hope of bringing justice to the victims and their families."