DeKalb serial rapist eludes manhunt

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A DeKalb County serial rapist has continued to elude officers and now may be linked to as many as six attacks, police said Thursday.

Investigators said their manhunt has captured several fugitives, but none has been positively identified as the rapist.

“We’re following up on every lead, and we’ve put some people in jail that need to be,” DeKalb County Police Lt. K.D. Johnson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

All of the attacks have occurred at apartments on Hambrick Road near Stone Mountain. In each of the incidents, the suspect kicked the door in and raped the woman at gunpoint, police said. He covered his face with a T-shirt or other clothing.

Three of the rapes were positively linked through DNA. Investigators are waiting for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to finish tests on the other three, which match the motive of the rapist, Johnson said.

“When we get that DNA back, we’ll have a slam-dunk case. We’re going to catch him,” said Johnson, commander of the special victims unit. “This is kind of like hunting; you got to sit back and wait.”

The attacks started Sept. 26, and the most recent attack occurred Nov. 28.

Police believe the suspect lurks in the apartment complexes at night and then follows women who are alone.

In one of the attacks, the victim’s children were in the other room. In another, a roommate hid in a closet during the rape.

“We’re thinking he lives in the area and is watching his victims and choosing them very carefully,” Johnson said.

All of the victims are black females, but their ages vary.

None of the women were otherwise injured.

Police have beefed up patrols in the neighborhood, including officers on foot and undercover detectives.

“We’re not letting up because he may strike when we’re not watching,” Johnson said.

Police said they thought they had their man on Wednesday. Convicted felon Lawrence K. Jones, 40, lived in the area and moved out when police moved in, Johnson said.

“He was a person who was acting suspicious and left the area abruptly,” he said. “He had a violent past.”

Police charged Jones with violating his parole out of Michigan, but found no evidence to link him to the attacks, Johnson said.

Jones appeared on “America’s Most Wanted” in 2005 after he escaped from a Michigan corrections facility, where he was sentenced for an armed robbery and drug conviction. He was subsequently arrested on charges of escape, Johnson said.

“Everyone is a person of interest,” Johnson said. “Right now, we’re taking some people off the streets in that area [Hambrick Road] that really need to be in jail.”

Detectives have talked with neighboring police, including Clayton County, which was the target of a serial sexual assault suspect from December 2008 to August. But detectives do not believe the DeKalb attacks are connected, Johnson said.

Seven women were sexually assaulted in Clayton County by an armed man who forced his way into their apartments, ejaculated on them and then forced the women to wash off the DNA, police said. Two of the women were raped. No arrests have been made.

DeKalb police said the rapist is considered “extremely dangerous,” and urged women to get to know their neighbors.

“It’s like the buddy system, have someone know what time you come home at night,” Johnson advised. “Watch dark alleyways, wooded areas and people sitting in cars, and make sure to keep a cell close by.”

DeKalb resident Brenda Terrell said she has put her family on lockdown and no longer lets her 15-year-old daughter walk the dog at night.

“It’s a big concern when my daughter always tries to go out after daylight,” the mother said while Christmas shopping. “Even with the dog, I’m still scared.”

Judy O’Shea, who also lives in north DeKalb, said she always walks with friends and never after dark. “I’m not scared, but I probably should be,” she said. “You just have to be smart about it.”

The suspect is described as a clean-shaven black male in his mid-20s or early 30s. He is between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall, 160-180 pounds with a medium complexion and low haircut.

Police urge residents to report anything suspicious, particularly men lurking in vehicles in the area. Anyone with information may call 770-724-7499.