An Atlanta man, Jeffrey Briney, has been convicted on multiple counts of rape, kidnapping, and other related charges stemming from two 1986 cold cases, as per official statements from the DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston. Nearly four decades after the heinous crimes were committed, a jury delivered their verdict on Friday, sealing the fate of the 61-year-old, who will soon face sentencing by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie.
According to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, the case broke open after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) revisited the untested sexual assault kits with the aid of a federal grant. Led by the committed efforts of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (GASAKI) Task Force, in 2023, the kits were processed by private labs. The DNA evidence from one of the rape victims at a Briarwood Road apartment on March 28, 1986, led to a CODIS match with Jeffrey Briney. In a separate but hauntingly similar incident, on October 27, 1986, less than a mile away on Buford Highway, DNA matched Briney to the rapes of two more women.
David Briney, Jeffrey's brother, was also implicated through DNA evidence as announced by authorities. His DNA matched that from the other Briarwood rape victim and connected him to seven additional cases. While Jeffrey Briney’s judgment has been cast, David Briney awaits trial, a date for which is yet to be determined.
The successful prosecutorial push by the District Attorney's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Unit included Senior Assistant District Attorney Agatha Romanowski, with her team’s spotlight shining on a matter long cloaked in the shadows. As the GBI Crime Lab continues to process these vital kits, the GASAKI Task Force stands as a testament to collaborative efforts to close cases that once seemed destined to remain enigmas of a grimmer past.
The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), maintained by the FBI since 1998, has been a crucial player in bringing long-awaited resolution to such cases. Before its implementation, DNA evidence's potential was stymied by the need for a known suspect to serve as a comparison. With further advancements and commitments like those displayed by the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and its partners, an additional 2,500 kits were processed in 2023, which included 74 from DeKalb County alone, elucidating the path to justice for numerous victims silenced by the weight of years and bureaucracy.
