An Albany man, Reginald Colwell, age 58, has been sentenced to life following his conviction on charges of kidnapping, rape, and aggravated assault, crimes he committed nearly four decades ago. The jury reached the verdict on May 20, ensuring that justice, delayed by the cold, clinical passage of years, found its mark at last.
The case was cracked wide open after preserved DNA evidence—originally collected in 1988 but untestable at the time—linked Colwell to the horrendous crimes. This major breakthrough came courtesy of federal funding from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), which allowed for the testing of old sexual assault kits. A CODIS match in June 2019 pointed investigators to the defendant, and subsequent DNA comparison cemented his tie to the crime, as noted in a statement by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
On the night of December 30, 1988, the 20-year-old victim was confronted outside her apartment in Stone Mountain by a masked assailant. Threatening her with a knife, he forced her into the nearby woods, where he sexually assaulted her. After the attack, she sought help from a neighbor, who aided her in calling her boyfriend and the police, launching the initial investigation led by retired Major S. Waits of the DeKalb County Police Department.
During the sentencing yesterday, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams, who presided over the trial, delivered a finite blow against what the prosecution presented as incontrovertible evil, handing Colwell two life sentences, plus an additional 20 years. These are to be served consecutively and, according to the rules of a bygone era—the time when the crime was committed—Colwell will be subject to parole guidelines from 1988, as mentioned by the District Attorney's Office.
The team that brought Colwell to justice included Senior Assistant District Attorney Agatha Romanowski, with Senior Assistant District Attorney Eliazette Johnson, District Attorney Investigator Crispin Henry, and Victim Advocate Julie Varnado providing assistance.
