DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has announced a conviction by jury trial in the case against Eric Haygood, a 61-year-old Kirkwood man accused of sexually assaulting a neighbor in her own home.
On May 15, the jury found Haygood guilty on charges of Rape, two counts of Aggravated Sodomy and Aggravated Assault Strangulation. These charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on February 1, 2022.
According to the investigation, officers from the Atlanta Police Department responded to a sexual assault report at a Kirkwood residence. The victim, a woman in her 50s, informed officers that she had encountered Haygood earlier that morning while walking her dog. She noted that Haygood, who had previously lived in his mother’s home in the neighborhood, was still frequently seen in the area.
The victim reported that after returning home and starting her workday, Haygood knocked on her door around 8:30 a.m., asking for a favor. Once inside the house, he attacked her—grabbing and strangling her while demanding intercourse. Despite her verbal and physical attempts to stop him, she was unsuccessful. Before leaving the premises, Haygood stated: “I’m in trouble,” and hugged the victim.
Haygood had previously been tried for a similar crime committed in the same neighborhood back in 2007. However, despite efforts by the State's prosecution team, a DeKalb County jury acquitted him of those charges.
Following his recent guilty verdicts, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith sentenced Haygood to Life Without Parole plus an additional 20 years to serve consecutively.
The case was assigned to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit and prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Paige Boorman with assistance from Senior ADA Elizabeth Tarver, DA Investigator Andre Williams and Victim Advocate Tina Williamson. Detective Fernkorn of the Atlanta Police Department and former Officer Murray, now an SVU Detective, led the initial investigation.