Georgia investigators are working to identify possible additional victims of convicted Florida sex offender Julius Hunter after his DNA was linked to three sexual assault cases involving women who allegedly responded to Craigslist job postings.
Hunter, 42, is facing rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping charges in Georgia over the alleged 2016 assault of a 19-year-old woman at a Clarkston apartment complex. A DeKalb County grand jury indicted him on Aug. 11.
Before his arrest in Georgia, Hunter pleaded no contest in Florida to an unrelated 2021 sexual battery case involving a former girlfriend. Investigators are now looking into what they believe could be a larger pattern of sexual violence.
Julius Hunter, center, was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, right, in connection with a sexual assault in Clarkston, Georgia, left. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office; Joe Raedle/Getty Images; REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
FIANCÉE STANDS BY ACCUSED SERIAL RAPIST AS SPECIAL AGENTS DEFEND FOLLOWING HIM FOR RESTAURANT DNA STAKEOUT
“Hunter grew up in New Jersey, so it is possible there may be victims there,” DeKalb County District Attorney Investigator Brandi Rogers told News Media.
Authorities said Hunter’s DNA also matched evidence from two other sexual assault investigations in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties dating to 2016 and 2017.
He has not been charged in either case. Rogers said investigators have not been able to locate or reconnect with the two women involved.
$300 babysitting job
According to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, the 19-year-old believed she was accepting a $300 overnight babysitting job when Hunter arranged a ride-share to an apartment near 700 Jolly Avenue on July 27, 2016.
Instead of finding children at the apartment, she encountered Hunter and another man, authorities said.
Julius Hunter was charged in a sexual assault case in Clarkston, Georgia. (Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
She tried to leave, but Hunter allegedly prevented her from doing so and sexually assaulted her for several hours before letting her go the next day.
The woman escaped in a cab and asked the driver to call 911. She later met officers at a gas station and was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination.
Rogers told News Media that the second man reportedly inside the apartment has not been identified. Investigators continue to seek information about him, and he has not been charged.
DON’T MISS: Rep. Kean Returns After Unexplained Absence for First, Only Debate
Florida arrest leads to DNA match
The Clarkston investigation remained open for years after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained a male DNA profile from the 19-year-old’s sexual assault kit. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, but initially did not match anyone in the national database.
The case shifted after Hunter’s 2021 Florida conviction. His DNA was collected and added to CODIS, producing a match with evidence from the Clarkston sexual assault kits and kits gathered in the DeKalb and Gwinnett County investigations.
Hunter was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 13, two days after the DeKalb County grand jury issued the indictment. He was extradited to Georgia and booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Aug. 20.
Julius Hunter was arrested in Fort Lauderdale. (Hoberman Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
At the time Georgia authorities obtained the indictment, Hunter was serving an 11-year probation sentence stemming from his Florida conviction.
Don Plummer, a spokesperson for the Georgia Public Defender Council, which represents Hunter, declined to comment.
Similar Craigslist ads
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said in a Sept. 14 media alert that the Georgia cases shared similarities beyond DNA. Authorities said Hunter used Craigslist ads to solicit women for jobs involving “babysitting, modeling, dancing and massages.”
Rogers said the number of incidents within a relatively short period suggests there could be additional victims.
The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force, a collaboration of prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates who investigate cold-case sexual assaults, is currently investigating the cases.
Tip line
Rogers is urging anyone who believes Hunter victimized them to contact law enforcement, stressing that coming forward does not require a victim to pursue prosecution.
“We ask anyone who believes they may have been victimized to call our tip line at 404-371-2444,” Rogers said.
“It is important that we hear their stories so we can offer them support whether or not they decide to move forward with prosecution.”