Greetings–

It’s hard to believe the first half of 2024 has already passed! Our team has been hard at work securing justice for victims of crime, hosting community education events, and working alongside partner agencies to further our impact. I’m particularly proud of the partnerships we’ve highlighted in this issue. 

In April, thanks to a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Community Awareness Project subgrant, my office partnered with Prevent Child Abuse Georgia to launch an awareness campaign highlighting resources available to families who may be struggling.

In May, we hosted our second Missing Persons Event & DNA Drive in partnership with the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office. This partnership has been invaluable to our team as we’ve committed to solving cold cases and identifying the remains of several unidentified individuals in DeKalb County. 

We’re also excited to be preparing for our 10th Annual Love Run 5K next February! I hope you’ll join us as we continue building awareness of teen dating violence and celebrate 10 years of raising funds for the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, an organization that offers critical resources to women and children in our community.

As I look back on all we have accomplished so far in 2024, I’m grateful for the hard-working members of our team and our partners in the community. I’m excited to see what more we can accomplish in the second half of the year!

Sincerely,

Loganville Man Indicted In Decades-Old Double

Homicide and Sexual Assault

Suspects Identified Through Federal Grant Secured by DeKalb DA's Office to

Re-Open Cold Cases with DNA Evidence

In June, DA Boston announced the indictment of a Loganville man accused of raping a woman, and stabbing both her and her brother in 1990 in the Stone Mountain apartment the victims shared.

On June 25, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Kenneth Perry, 55, on two counts of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Rape, four counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Aggravated Battery, two counts of Possession of a Knife During the Commission of a Felony, and Theft by Taking, all in connection with the rape and murder of Pamela Sumpter, 43, and the murder of John Sumpter, 46.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office’s Fugitive Unit executed a warrant for Defendant Perry’s arrest on June 6, 2024. He was arrested without incident in Gwinnett County and remains in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.  

Federal Grant

The District Attorney’s Cold Case team identified Defendant Perry through investigative work funded by the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA grant secured by the office in October 2023 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

In preparation to apply for the grant, an investigator in the DA’s Office completed an audit of 50 unsolved homicide cases in DeKalb County and identified the Sumpter case as a good candidate for the grant because the evidence included DNA from an unknown individual.

After receiving the grant, the DA’s Office worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to upload the DNA profile at the national level and received a match to an unprosecuted 1992 sexual assault in Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit case file listed a man named Kenneth Perry as the suspect, and the DA’s Cold Case team worked with Othram, a private lab partner, and the GBI to confirm the DNA in the DeKalb case belonged to Defendant Perry of Loganville, Georgia.

Cold Case Tip Line

Anyone who believes they may have information about Kenneth Perry or the murders of John and Pamela Sumpter is encouraged to call the District Attorney’s Cold Case Tip Line at 404-371-2444.

Read more.

District Attorney & Medical Examiner Host

Missing Persons Event & DNA Drive

In May, the District Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office hosted a Missing Persons Event & DNA Drive at the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport during the Good Neighbor Day Air Show. Families and friends of missing persons were invited to attend the event to share information about their loved ones, open or add to missing persons reports, and donate DNA to assist with possible identification efforts.

The Missing Persons Event & DNA Drive is an extension of the work of the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force, a coalition consisting of staff from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the DeKalb County Police Department.

During the event, the Cold Case Task Force had the opportunity to connect with several families who have missing loved ones. The event also brought new attention to the Task Force’s work to identify the remains of more than 20 individuals in DeKalb County.

Thank you to all of the partners who made the event a success including the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta, NamUS, U.S. Indian Affairs, Black and Missing, Inc., the Trans Doe Task Force and GEDmatch. 

Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program Grant

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office was awarded a three-year Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program grant in 2022 to identify the remains of 27 individuals found in DeKalb County. The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is intended for use in improving the reporting, transportation, processing, and identification of missing persons and unidentified remains.

Awareness Campaign Recognizes Crime Victims' Rights Week

and Child Abuse Prevention Month

In April, the District Attorney’s Office installed a temporary pinwheel garden outside the DeKalb County Courthouse to recognize Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 21-27, 2024) and Child Abuse Prevention Month (April).

DA Boston, members of the office’s Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Unit, Victim Advocates, and representatives from Prevent Child Abuse Georgia “planted” 170 pinwheels, the national symbol of child abuse prevention, to represent the 170,000 children who live in DeKalb County and deserve a bright and hopeful future. The courthouse installation was part of a larger awareness campaign to highlight resources available for families in our community, and serve as a reminder that Supported Families Are Strong Families.

The campaign included one static billboard, two digital billboards, and several bus shelter posters located throughout DeKalb County. The DA’s Office also worked with community partners to place yard signs and pinwheels in neighborhoods. The goal of the campaign was to provide information about www.FindHelpGA.org, a website that connects people with resources including financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, childcare, job training and other free or reduced-cost services in their area.

Crime Victims’ Rights Week honors victims, recognizes those who provide victims with critical support, and raises awareness about crime victims’ rights and services. Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the impact that services in support of families can have on preventing child abuse before a situation escalates to abuse or neglect.

A special thank you to Prevent Child Abuse Georgia for their partnership in the project.  

Funding for the project was made possible through a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Community Awareness Project subgrant from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA).

DA Boston to Host 10th Annual Love Run 5K

Saturday, February 22, 2025

8:30 a.m., Downtown Decatur

Join DA Boston for the 10th Annual Love Run 5K in commemoration of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. All proceeds will benefit the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

Registration is open! The Early Bird Rate is only $35!

Celebrate 10 years with 10% off for groups of 10 or more! Grab your friends & family, running club, or training group, and register today.

This in-person event is an official AJC Peachtree Road Race qualifier. Each registered runner or walker will receive a signature long-sleeved shirt and race medal. All runners also receive a $10 off coupon to Big Peach.

DA Boston created the Love Run 5K in 2016 while serving as DeKalb County Solicitor-General to commemorate Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and raise funds for domestic violence survivors.

The Boy in the Woods

Watch a preview of the show. The full episode, “The Boy in the Woods,” is available now at www.aetv.com. 

Human Trafficking Survivor Makes it to Stranger's House,

Leads Police to 4 Trafficking Arrests

To read about more news from the DA’s Office,

visit the News section of the website.

Jeanne Canavan Retires

Congratulations are in order for Jeanne Canavan, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Crimes Against Elder Persons & Adults with Disabilities Unit, who is retiring after 30 years of dedicated service to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office!

Jeanne has been a fierce advocate, setting the standard in the protection of at-risk adults, and the prosecution of those who abuse these vulnerable members of our community. She is a beloved mentor in the District Attorney’s Office, on the local high school mock trial team that she advises, and across the state.

At her retirement celebration, Jeanne was presented with the Pat King Award of Excellence. The North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force honored Jeanne with this award for her, “…outstanding work to prosecute elder abuse and transform the laws of Georgia to better protect the rights and safety of dependent adults.”

The DA's Office applauds Jeanne for her dedication to victims of crime, her tireless advocacy on behalf of at-risk adults, her commitment to mentorship, and the legacy she leaves in the office and throughout the state!  

Congratulations, Jeanne!

Members of the DA’s Office attended the Champions for Change fundraiser benefiting the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. This beautiful event celebrates the incredible impact WRC’s programs have on the community and domestic violence survivors. 

In June, DA Boston connected with colleagues at the State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting. Congratulations to outgoing President Tony DelCampo on an amazing year! Thank you for your service as the first ever Latino President of the State Bar of Georgia.

DA Boston was honored to join an esteemed list of leaders for a panel discussion entitled, True Identity and Purpose: The Path to Freedom, as part of Juneteenth Atlanta. The panel included  Neisha Rogers, Quiana Watson, Ray Daniels, Santia Deck and David Manuel. 

Staff attended the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia Summer Conference. The conference is an opportunity for the team to learn from and build connections with other prosecution offices across the state. Staff members who presented at the conference include Senior Assistant District Attorney Sam d’Entremont, Director of Training Drew Healy, and Chief Assistant District Attorney Edward Chase.  

Jasmine Reese, Senior Assistant District Attorney with our Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Unit, served as a panelist on the, “See Something, Say Something” Human Trafficking and Teen Dating Violence Awareness Panel. The panel was hosted by the Georgia Association Of Black Women Attorneys Sister2Sister Mentor/Mentee program for young women. Speakers shared valuable insight into the signs of human trafficking and teen dating violence, and the mentees received information on how to keep themselves, their friends and their families safe.

DA Boston, A’Sheika Penn, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Juvenile Division/SB440 Unit, and Tyshawn Jackson, Senior Assistant District Attorney with the Firearm Violence Prevention Unit attended the Prosecutors Against Gun Violence conference. The conference, titled, “Prosecutors and the Other Pandemic: Preventing Gun Violence, Restoring Communities,” brought together hundreds of elected prosecutors, practitioners, and experts to explore the impact of gun violence in our country. Deputy Chief ADA Penn served as a panelist for a conversation around youth gun violence.

Staff from the DA’s Office and the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office attended the Walk for the Missing hosted by Raymond Green International Outreach and spoke to participants about the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force. They also handed out DNA testing kits, and shared information about the importance of increasing the DNA sample in our community to assist with solving unidentified death cases and to reunite families with loved ones.

Drew Healy, Director of Training, recently participated in a mock trial as part of the Chamblee Police Department’s Report Writing and Courtroom Demeanor Training for their officers. The office appreciated the chance to share knowledge about the judicial system and what officers may expect when asked to appear in court on a case.

During Older Americans Month, the DA’s Office joined the DeKalb County Police Department for their Senior Safety Summit at Peace Baptist Church. Presenters shared valuable information about how seniors can protect themselves - including how to avoid scams, protecting property, and wellness tips.

Staff attended the inaugural Emory Hillandale Hospital Peace Walk at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. The walk was hosted by the Emory Hillandale Hospital Violence Prevention Program in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Participants wore orange to honor survivors of gun violence.