ATLANTA — DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a significant development in a double homicide and rape case back in 1990.
According to Boston, forensic genetic genealogy helped lead them to the arrest of 55-year-old Kenneth Perry earlier in June.
Perry is accused of stabbing and killing siblings John and Pamela Sumpter, the latter of which is believed to have also been raped by her attacker. It happened at an apartment complex on Treehills Parkway in Stone Mountain.
James Sumpter is the victims' brother.
"This world is wicked and evil," James said.
While John died at the scene, Boston said Pamela managed to cling on to life for a few weeks, providing what little information she had to authorities. Boston noted that Perry was John's acquaintance, but Pamela did not know him well.
Decades later, investigators were able to match DNA collected from Pamela's rape kit, gathered right before she died. However, there was no match.
"And from there, the case went cold," said DA Sherry Boston.
Over the years, new forensic technology developed. The office received federal funding from the Department of Justice in October 2023. The DNA matched a sexual assault case out of Detroit. Technology also connected Perry's DNA to a family member's already in their system.
"We worked with the GBI to upload the DNA profile from this case to the national DNA database," Boston said.
The DA noted that the Detroit case listed a man named Kenneth Perry as the suspect. With help from a private lab partner, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the DNA in the 1990 case belonged to a man in Loganville, Georgia.
"We now have closure," James said.
Boston added that Perry is now indicted on two counts each of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. In addition, he faces four counts of aggravated assault and one count of theft by taking.
"I pray that the justice system prevails on behalf of my brother and sister," James said. "We can face a future with hope."
According to DeKalb County authorities, Perry was arrested without incident in Gwinnett County on June 6 and remains in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.
Boston said this is the first case they've been able to crack with their recent funding, but there are about 600 cold cases in the county. Fifty were audited. Dozens were good candidates for the technology.
"As long as people are willing to give us the funds we need to do this work, we're prepared to keep on doing it," Boston said.
Sumpter Siblings Killed in Cold Case
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