Suspect charged in 2016 Craigslist rape cold case; authorities seek additional victims

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A 42-year-old man is charged with allegedly using a fake Craigslist advertisement to lure, kidnap and sexually assault a teenager in DeKalb County a decade ago.

According to DeKalb County District Attorney Investigator Brandi Rogers, the then 19-year-old victim answered an online Craigslist listing in 2016 seeking an overnight babysitter. A man offered her $300 to watch his children for the night and arranged a rideshare vehicle to bring her to an apartment near 700 Jolly Avenue in Clarkston.

When she arrived, she found two men, but no children. Investigators say Julius Hunter allegedly prevented her from leaving and sexually assaulted and raped her over several hours.

Investigators say Hunter released her the following day. The victim then entered a taxi, told the driver to call 911, met responding officers at a local gas station and was taken to a hospital for an examination.

While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the presence of male DNA in the victim’s sexual assault kit in 2017, the sample showed no initial hits in the national Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.

Investigators did discover, however, that the DNA matched two other sexual assault kits gathered across DeKalb and Gwinnett counties between 2016 and 2017 following a similar fact pattern.

Rogers said Hunter posted several ads on Craigslist in that timeframe looking for babysitters, models, dancers and masseuses.

“Back at that time, it was very commonplace for people to solicit different services. Kind of the classifieds for the olden days,” Rogers said.

The case went cold until Hunter was arrested in Florida in 2021 for an unrelated felony sexual battery case.

“His DNA was immediately swabbed. They have different ways they do things in Florida,” said Rogers. “The DNA was immediately swabbed and uploaded into the national database called CODIS, and there was a match to the incidents that happened here in Georgia.”

Authorities arrested Hunter on Aug. 13 while he was on probation in Fort Lauderdale. He was extradited to DeKalb County and is now charged with rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping. He is being held without bond.

Since his arrest, investigators with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office say they have not been able to connect with the individuals from the other two cases that matched Hunter’s DNA.

“It’s a difficult thing to ask someone who was assaulted 10 to 15 years ago, sometimes 20 or 30 years ago, to relive those experiences and to kind of open those old wounds again,” Rogers said. “I do believe there are other victims out there. Just based on the timing and how many times it had happened in that short period of time that we are aware of.”

If you have any information about Hunter and his alleged crimes, call the district attorney’s office tip line at (404) 371-2444.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First as we learn more.