DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction of Reginald Colwell, an Albany man, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in 1988. On May 20, 2025, a jury found Colwell guilty of kidnapping, rape, and aggravated assault related to the incident on December 30, 1988.
Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced Colwell to two life sentences plus an additional 20 years, all to be served consecutively. The case involved a 20-year-old victim who reported being raped after being attacked by a masked man with a knife outside her apartment in Stone Mountain.
The DeKalb County Police Department conducted the initial investigation and collected evidence at the scene. Although DNA testing was unavailable at that time, biological evidence was preserved. In 2015, the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) provided funding for testing previously unprocessed kits. This led to a CODIS match linking Colwell to the crime in June 2019.
Senior Assistant District Attorneys Agatha Romanowski and Eliazette Johnson prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigator Crispin Henry and Victim Advocate Julie Varnado. Major S. Waits led the initial investigation.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation preserved evidence that eventually confirmed Colwell's involvement through DNA testing funded by SAKI.
For more information about parole guidelines applicable to crimes committed in 1988, visit the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles website.