A convicted serial rapist from Lithonia, Marieo Terrell Kearney, has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole following a series of rapes in DeKalb County. The verdict was delivered on March 12, with Kearney found guilty on multiple counts, including Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office released the sentencing details on Friday, noting that Judge Nora Polk, who presided over the case, imposed the life sentence plus an additional 5 years to be served consecutively on Thursday.
According to the DeKalb County Police Department, the case came to light after a rape reported on May 27, 2019. The 35-year-old victim had been approached by Kearney in a blue or green sedan after an argument with her boyfriend. Threatened with a gun, she was forced into the car, driven behind a building on Snapfinger Road, and assaulted. Following the attack, Kearney searching through her purse, and upon finding no money, let her leave. The victim sought help and a subsequent rape exam at Grady Memorial Hospital matched DNA from Kearney, linking him to this and several other cases.
In addition to the May 2019 case, Kearney was connected to assaults dating back as far as 2011. An instance on April 16, 2019, involved a sex worker who was assaulted at her own apartment in unincorporated Decatur. Kearney filmed the rape after having forced her to give up her phone password. Another attack took place on May 2, 2019, as Kearney picked up a woman under the guise of offering her a ride, then drove to a secluded parking lot where he forced her to perform oral sex and raped her. Each case featured DNA evidence that contributed to Kearney’s conviction.
The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office had prosecuted Kearney before; following a mistrial in 2012 for the Morrow rape case, he pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault and was given a 10-year sentence, serving 3 in confinement. However, Senior Assistant District Attorney Kelsey Devitto, with the help of her team and former DeKalb County Police Detective J.L. Lewis, successfully brought forth the case that resulted in Kearney's life sentence. Victims of Kearney's crimes waited years for justice, with the narrative of their ordeals laid bare in court, leading to the comprehensive sentence handed down this month.
