A Loganville man has been indicted in a cold case double homicide and sexual assault that dates back more than three decades, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced. Kenneth Perry, 55, is facing charges including two counts of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, and Rape for the 1990 attacks on siblings Pamela and John Sumpter in their Stone Mountain apartment.

According to a statement from the DeKalb County DA's office, Perry was taken into custody on June 6, 2023, after the county's Cold Case team identified him through a DNA match. The team's work began with an audit of 50 unsolved homicide cases in preparation for a national grant to prosecute cold cases using DNA, leading to a breakthrough thanks to the "Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA" grant from the Department of Justice, acquired in October 2023. This investigation has brought to light an eerie connection to an unsolved 1992 sexual assault in Detroit, where Perry was also the suspect, the authorities said.

On July 15, 1990, first responders found Pamela Sumpter injured and her brother deceased in their apartment. A 'rape kit' was collected from Ms. Sumpter, but the case went cold after she died of her injuries weeks later, on August 5, without a suspect identified. The DNA evidence from the kit was later entered into the Georgia state database with no matches, but this February, a national database hit linked Perry to the previously unprosecuted Detroit sexual assault. The connection between the historical cases and Perry's DNA was finally confirmed with the help of Othram, a private lab that specializes in developing DNA profiles for cold cases.

The DeKalb County DA's office's statement noted that "Ms. Sumpter was transported to the hospital where medical professionals collected a rape kit that included DNA from her attacker." Her brave effort to provide details while suffering grave injuries offered a glimpse into the assailant's origins, from Detroit, creating a vital link that years later would become central to reopening the case. The GBI's notification on June 20, 2024, that Perry's DNA matched the sample from the 1990 rape kit, solidified the evidence against him. Perry currently remains held without bond in the DeKalb County Jail, awaiting trial on these serious charges.

Those with any additional information on Kenneth Perry or the Sumpter case are encouraged to reach out to the District Attorney’s Cold Case Tip Line at 404-371-2444.