A Loganville man, Kenneth Perry, has been sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus 100 years in prison for crimes committed nearly 35 years ago. DeKalb County Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana C. Morris delivered the sentence following Perry's conviction for multiple charges including Malice Murder and Rape.
On March 11, 2025, a jury found Perry guilty of several offenses connected to the rape and murder of Pamela Sumpter and the murder of her brother John Sumpter in July 1990. The case had gone cold until recent efforts by the District Attorney’s Cold Case team identified Perry through DNA evidence.
The investigation began on July 15, 1990, when DeKalb County Police responded to a stabbing report at an apartment complex in Stone Mountain. Pamela Sumpter was found injured at a neighbor's home after being raped and stabbed. She informed officers that her brother had also been stabbed. John Sumpter was discovered dead in their apartment.
Pamela Sumpter later died from her injuries on August 5, 1990. At that time, police collected a rape kit containing DNA evidence but were unable to identify the attacker.
In October 2023, funding from the U.S. Department of Justice allowed further investigation into cold cases using DNA technology. This led to matching Perry’s DNA with evidence from an unprosecuted sexual assault case in Detroit from 1992 where he was listed as a suspect.
Further genealogical analysis confirmed Perry's connection to the crime scene through familial DNA links established by Othram Lab and verified by Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). He was arrested without incident by members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit.
Prosecution efforts were led by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Shannon Hodder and Agatha Romanowski alongside various investigators and victim services personnel who worked diligently on this long-standing case.