A sexual assault case from 1997 was closed last week after a man pleaded guilty to attacking a 35-year-old woman in her DeKalb County home, the District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Courtney Howe, 50, had been charged with rape, aggravated sodomy, kidnapping, aggravated assault, burglary and theft by taking, District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a post.
In early May 1997, officials said Howe entered an Atlanta home on Harts Mill Road. When the victim woke up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, she came face-to-face with Howe, who appeared to be wielding a knife, Boston said. Authorities said Howe pushed the victim to the ground and tied her wrists, then forced her to her bedroom.
After the assault, Howe dug through the woman’s belongings and left in her vehicle, Boston said.
It was not until May 2020 that Howe was identified as a suspect in the case after a positive DNA match to the sexual assault kit collected at the time of the incident. He was taken into custody in North Carolina that month and later transferred to the DeKalb County Jail.
Following his guilty plea, Howe was sentenced to 20 years, with 15 to serve in prison.
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