Man charged in Raleigh sexual assault cold case dating back to 1998: 'Justice for victims'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man has been charged in a 1998 sexual assault cold case that happened in Raleigh.

On Monday, 58-year-old Erwin King was taken into custody. He's facing charges of first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping.

Tuesday's court appearance reinforces the value being found by law enforcement and prosecutors in North Carolina's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, also known as SAKI. The initiative, funded by a 2019 grant of $2 million, directs resources to test previously untested rape kits and investigate and prosecute precisely these types of crimes.

Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman says - providing justice to victims and their families years after the fact is rewarding.

"Hopefully gives them some sense that they haven't been forgotten and that, you know, as investigators, as prosecutors, we're going to continue to push forward and try and do what's right on their behalf," Freeman said.

Freeman told ABC11 King is the third individual to be charged with evidence that surfaced from the initiative, and over 100 untested kits remain in Wake County.

"We have now been in a position to bring charges in their case and hopefully seek justice for them," she said.

In court on Tuesday, King provided a passionate defense before being cut off by the sitting judge.

"I've been living a productive life for over the last ten years. I have never committed such a crime in my life. I'm innocent of this, I haven't done this," he said.

King is being held on a $1.5 million secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court again in late November.

As part of the court order, he's barred from contacting the victim in the case.

Since 2019, cold case arrests have been on the rise across the Triangle. In Durham, police have arrested 18 people through this re-testing, according to the state dashboard. At a recent news conference, chief Patrice Andrews addressed those efforts.

"Heard from our victims, that have gone for years and thought they would never, ever have closure for someone that violated them -- who took away a part of them that they'll never get back," said Andrews.

The evidence in the case was included as part of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative that is being used by the North Carolina Department of Justice.

King's arrest resulted from a positive DNA match.