A man recently found guilty in a Fulton County court of rape and aggravated assault was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
David Hinkle, 33, was indicted in December in connection with the 2006 death of an Atlanta woman and the rape of another, according to a news release from the office of Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard Jr.
According to police, DNA was gathered from the scene of a murder in August 2006 and a rape in the same area earlier that year. The DNA from the two scenes matched, but police had no leads or suspects and the surviving rape victim could not identify her attacker, so both cases went cold, the release says.
In 2009, Hinkle was arrested in an unrelated case. His DNA was placed into a database and authorities were able to link him with the earlier crimes, authorities said.
Hinkle was found guilty March 21 on rape, aggravated assault and murder charges, but the jury hung on a murder charge, according to the D.A.'s office. He was sentenced by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Henry Newkirk to life plus 20 years.
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