Arrest Made in 1990 Georgia Double Homicide Following Rape Kit DNA Match: Prosecutors
Pamela Sumpter (left) and John Sumpter (middle) were found stabbed to death in their Atlanta apartment in 1990. Now, police said Kenneth Perry (right) have been arrested in connection to their murders.
Jun. 27 2024, Published 4:01 p.m. ET
Fatal Stabbings
A decades-old rape kit helped solve the murders of two Georgia people in 1990, officials said.
A decades-old rape kit helped link a Georgia man’s DNA to the fatal stabbings of a woman and her brother in their Atlanta apartment in 1990, according to authorities.
On June 25, Kenneth Perry, 55, was indicted and charged with multiple counts of malice murder, aggravated assault, rape, and other crimes in connection with the deaths of Pamela Sumpter, 43, and John Sumpter, 46, the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Arrest Made
Police arrested the suspect in May, but he wasn't indicted until recently, authorities said.
Authorities said Perry was arrested last month, but he was indicted on June 25.
On July 15, 1990, Perry is accused of attacking the sibling victims at their home in Stone Mountain after John Sumpter brought the man to their apartment, officials said.
Rape Kit Collected
Officials said the woman started screaming, which is when neighbors ran over to help.
- A Denver Street Vendor Loved Independence Day. Tragically, He Was Shot Dead While Working on the Holiday, and His Killer's Still at Large.
- North Carolina Mother Accused of Involuntary Manslaughter After Daughter, 8, Dies in Hot Car While She Was at Work
- Married Middle School Principal Stole from Students to Hire Hitman to Kill His Pregnant Teacher Girlfriend
Pamela Sumpter survived the attack and was hospitalized. When talking with authorities, she was able to provide a detailed description of Perry and said he was an acquaintance of her brother’s whom she knew little about, authorities said.
Medical officials were able to collect a rape kit from Sumpter with the attacker’s DNA. On Aug. 5, 1990, Pamela died from her injuries and the case went cold.
Unprosecuted Sexual Assault Case
An unprosecuted sexual assault case in Michigan helped lead authorities to the suspect, officials said.
Earlier this year, a sample from that kit was uploaded to a national database. The sample matched DNA from an unprosecuted sexual assault in Michigan in 1992, prosecutors said.
The victim in that case identified the suspect as Perry, her ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t clear why that case was never prosecuted.
Booked Into Jail
Perry was booked into jail and is being held without bond, authorities said.
From there, a genetic genealogy firm linked the DNA from Pamela Sumpter’s rape kit to a “family network that could include” Perry, authorities said.
Perry was then arrested and a direct comparison between his DNA and the material collected from the kit was made, officials said. On June 20, authorities learned the samples allegedly matched.
Perry was booked into the DeKalb County jail, where he was being held without bond.
Become a Front Page Detective
Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.