Jeffrey King was arrested on October 1, 2019 and charged in the August 4, 1993 rape and kidnapping of a 22-year-old woman in Newark, Delaware. She was assaulted while walking down Barksdale Road just after 2:30 am in the morning.
The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs as part of a broader Delaware Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to clear the backlog of untested sexual assault kits. Delaware received $2.2 million dollars in federal funding to clear its backlog of untested sexual assault kits, which it completed in September of 2020.
The initial confirmation was made through the surreptitious sampling of a Wawa ice tea bottle that had been discarded by King. Police then obtained a warrant for a buccal swab from King.
King made a motion to suppress the DNA profile obtained from the surreptitious sampling as well as the buccal swab, but this motion was denied in January of 2021. The court held that King did not evidence an expectation of privacy in the bottle that he discarded in a publicly accessible trash can. The court also held that the testing of the bottle for a DNA profile that matched that taken from the victim did not violate a protected privacy interest; DNA profiles used for identification purposes do not violate a reasonable expectation of privacy.
In May of 2022, King pled guilty, and is awaiting sentencing. The case against King is pending in Newcastle County Superior Court.
Nine men have been arrested for sex offences as a result of Delaware’s efforts to clear its backlog of untested sexual assault kits. Delaware has also changed its policies to reduce turnaround times for testing sexual assault kits and to improve justice outcomes for victims of sexual assault.
Sources:
Barrish, Cris. “‘Justice Served’: Delaware Sets New Policies to Test Rape Exam Kits, Speed Up Investigations.” Philadelphia Tribune, August 16, 2022. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/justice-served-delaware-sets-new-policies-to-test-rape-exam-kits-speed-up-investigations/article_6855a68c-e3b7-5de0-a9f2-57aef196c7a1.html.
NBC 10 Philadelphia. “DNA Testing Leads to Arrest of Suspect in 1993 Rape in Delaware, Police Say.” NBC 10 Philadelphia, October 15, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/delaware-dna-testing-rape-cold-case-sexual-assault-arrest-suspect/1895370/.
Rubin, Andrew. “DNA-Based Investigation Leads to Indictment and Arrest in 1993 Sexual Assault.” Newark Police Press, October 15, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://newarkdepolicepress.com/2019/10/15/dna-based-investigation-leads-to-indictment-and-arrest-in-1993-sexual-assault/.
State v. King, I.D. No. 1909016237 (Del. Super. Ct. Jan. 21, 2021). Accessed January 29, 2023. https://casetext.com/case/state-v-king-102799.