The Case of Cleophus Ward: How to Investigate and Prosecute SAKI Cases with Significant Challenges
November 16 — 2:00 PM EST
The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) team will be hosting a webinar titled "The Case of Cleophus Ward: How to Investigate and Prosecute SAKI Cases with Significant Challenges" on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET. This webinar will be presented by Julianna Peterson, Deputy District Attorney, and James Spear, Senior Investigator, both of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office SAKI Unit.
The SAKI Unit from Atlanta, GA at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office will discuss how they successfully investigated and prosecuted serial rapist Cleophus Ward in the face of significant challenges. They will lay out how they overcame having no police report, no medical records and no law enforcement witnesses in their primary victim’s case from 22 years ago and gained their jury’s trust.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.