Durham snags $1.15M federal grant to test rape evidence kits, prosecute sex crime cold cases

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Durham gets federal grant to test sexual assault evidence kits

The Durham County District Attorney's Office announced it had received a federal grant worth $1.15 million to continue the prosecution of cases

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The push to get justice for more victims of sexual assault crimes in Durham got a boost Tuesday.

The Durham County District Attorney's Office announced it had received a federal grant worth $1.15 million to continue the prosecution of cases charged as the result of sexual assault evidence kits.

Many of these kits sat completed but not tested for years. After getting money to process and test the kits, several arrests have been made.

Now, with more money available, prosecutors can push forward to help serve justice for the victims who have waited years to see their attacker caught and punished.

"Through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), the Durham DA's Office has been able to revisit decades-old cases and get justice for survivors who have waited too long to see it," District Attorney Satana Deberry said. "We are grateful for the opportunity this funding provides to continue holding people accountable and making our community safer. No matter how long ago an assault occurred, the Durham DA's Office is here for survivors."

The money will help fund a full-time prosecutor dedicated to SAKI cases. That's a position the Durham District Attorney's Office had from 2020 to 2023. Now that position will also have a full-time SAKI legal assistant as well as more funding for specialized DNA testing, expert witness compensation and lodging/travel budgets for survivors during trials.

"Having dedicated staff for these highly sensitive and complex cases ensures they are not only rigorously prosecuted, but that we do so in a trauma-informed and survivor-centered way," said Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca, who will continue to serve as the Office's dedicated SAKI prosecutor. "This grant will allow us to reduce barriers to justice for vulnerable survivors, strengthen partnerships with law enforcement and victim service providers, and bring closure to more cases."

Since 2018 when Durham began submitting the sex assault kits for testing, the DA's office has convicted nine defendants in 12 separate cases dating back to 2005. The office currently has charges pending in 17 cases, with the oldest dating back to 1990.

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