A Kirkwood man will spend the rest of his life behind bars, with an additional 20 years tacked on for sexual assault of his neighbor, DeKalb County District Attorney's Office report. On Wednesday, a DeKalb County Superior Court Judge sentenced 61-year-old Eric Haygood to life without parole after a jury found him guilty of multiple heinous crimes, including Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, and Aggravated Assault Strangulation. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction, which stemmed from a brutal February 2022 attack.
According to trial testimony, which ended on May 15, Haygood was a recognized face in the community, often seen in the area despite no longer living in his mother's home. Walking her dog earlier the morning of the attack, the victim spotted Haygood on the street. The encounter turned horrifying when he later knocked on her door under the pretext of asking for a favor. He then assaulted her in her own home around 8:30 a.m., as reported by the Atlanta Police Department officers who responded to the assault call.
The victim, in her 50s, was powerless to stop the assault despite her verbal and physical efforts to thwart Haygood. Following the attack, the defendant, wrapped up in a moment of apparent self-awareness, uttered, "I’m in trouble," and hugged the victim before fleeing. This was not the first time Haygood faced the law for similar crimes; he was acquitted in 2007 for a comparable incident in the same neighborhood.
Overseeing the trial, Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith, immediately sentenced Haygood post conviction to ensure the predator would never again have the opportunity to harm another member of the community. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Paige Boorman, with help from Senior ADA Elizabeth Tarver and others from the DA's office. Atlanta Police Department Detective Fernkorn and former Officer Murray, now an SVU Detective, led the courage-riddled initiative," according to a post on the DA's official website.
