Georgia Investigators Seek Victims Linked to Florida Sex Offender Julius Hunter

<p>Georgia investigators are searching for potential victims of a convicted Florida sex offender after DNA linked him to three sexual assault cases involving women allegedly lured through Craigslist job ads.</p><p>Julius Hunter, 42, faces charges of rape, aggravated sodomy, and kidnapping in Georgia in connection with a 2016 attack on a 19-year-old at a Clarkston apartment complex. A DeKalb County grand jury indicted him on August 11.</p><p>Prior to his Georgia arrest, Hunter pleaded no contest in an unrelated 2021 sexual battery case in Florida involving his former girlfriend. Investigators are examining what they believe is a broader pattern of sexual assaults.</p><p>“Hunter grew up in New Jersey, so it is possible there may be victims there,” DeKalb County District Attorney Investigator Brandi Rogers stated.</p><p>Hunter's DNA also matched evidence from two additional sexual assault cases in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties from 2016 and 2017, according to authorities.</p><p>He has not been charged in either case. Rogers mentioned that investigators have been unable to reconnect with the two women involved.</p><p>The 19-year-old thought she was heading to a $300 overnight babysitting job when Hunter arranged a ride-share to an apartment near 700 Jolly Avenue on July 27, 2016, as reported by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.</p><p>Upon arrival, there were no children present, only Hunter and another man, authorities reported.</p><p>She attempted to leave, but Hunter allegedly stopped her and sexually assaulted her over several hours before releasing her the following day.</p><p>The woman fled in a cab and requested the driver to call 911. She then met police officers at a gas station before going to a hospital for a sexual assault examination.</p><p>Rogers indicated that investigators have not identified the second man inside the apartment and continue to seek information about him. He has not been charged.</p><p>The Clarkston case remained unsolved for years until the Georgia Bureau of Investigation developed a male DNA profile from the 19-year-old’s sexual assault kit. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) but did not match anyone in the national database at that time.</p><p>That changed after Hunter's 2021 Florida conviction. Authorities collected his DNA and entered his profile into CODIS, which triggered a match to DNA recovered from the Clarkston sexual assault kits, as well as the sexual assault kits from the DeKalb and Gwinnett counties cases.</p><p>Authorities arrested Hunter in Fort Lauderdale on August 13, two days after the DeKalb County grand jury indictment. He was extradited to Georgia and booked into the DeKalb County Jail on August 20.</p><p>Hunter was serving an 11-year probation sentence for the Florida conviction when Georgia authorities secured the indictment against him.</p><p>Don Plummer, a spokesperson for the Georgia Public Defender Council, which is representing Hunter, declined to comment on the case.</p><p>The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office stated in a September 14 media alert that the Georgia cases share similarities beyond DNA. Authorities noted that Hunter used Craigslist ads to solicit women for jobs involving “babysitting, modeling, dancing, and massages.”</p><p>Rogers indicated that the number of incidents within a relatively short period suggests there could be additional victims.</p><p>The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force, a collaboration of prosecutors, investigators, and victim advocates, is currently investigating the cases.</p><p>Rogers is urging anyone who believes Hunter victimized them to contact law enforcement, emphasizing that coming forward does not require a victim to pursue prosecution.</p><p>“We ask anyone who believes they may have been victimized to call our tip line at 404-371-2444,” Rogers stated. “It is important that we hear their stories so we can offer them support whether or not they decide to move forward with prosecution.”</p>