DECATUR MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE AFTER GUILTY PLEA IN COLD CASE RAPE DATING BACK THREE DECADES

State v. Moses Robinson

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by guilty plea in the sexual assault cold case against Moses Robinson, 67, of Decatur.

In a hearing Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Robinson pleaded guilty as indicted to a Rape charge in connection with the assault of a 26-year-old woman in her apartment 36 years ago. Following his non-negotiated guilty plea, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson sentenced Defendant Robinson to Life in Prison.*

The incident occurred on January 13, 1990, at the Misty Waters Apartment complex in unincorporated Decatur. According to the investigation, the victim was in bed when she heard her back door being kicked in around 3:45 a.m. A Black male, later identified as Defendant Robinson, walked into her bedroom, stood at the foot of her bed, then pulled her into the living room. Robinson told the victim he had a knife, and ordered her to the ground. He removed his pants, pinned the victim to the ground and raped her.

After the assault, Defendant Robinson stayed for two more hours talking to the victim while they sat in the dark. The victim asked him questions but was not able to gather any useful information about his identity.

After Defendant Robinson left the apartment, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded and the victim went to Grady Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault exam. The evidence was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), however without a suspect it could not be tested at the time. The GBI preserved the biological evidence collected in the sexual assault kit.

The GBI sent the kit to a private lab for processing in 2019 as part of the statewide effort to test previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits. A Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) match returned an investigative lead to Defendant Robinson. The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team worked with the DeKalb County Police Department to locate the 1990 case file and was able to connect with the victim in 2024 to confirm that she wanted to move forward with prosecution. A DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Defendant Robinson on August 8, 2025. He was taken into custody on August 25, 2025, and has remained in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.

The case, assigned to the District Attorney's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Agatha Romanowski, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Paige Boorman, District Attorney and SAKI Investigators Crispin Henry and Brandi Rogers, and Victim Advocate Julie Varnado. Retired DeKalb County Police Department Investigator H. Brown handled the initial investigation in 1990.

(*Because the crime occurred in 1990, Defendant Robinson's Life sentence will follow the parole guidelines on the books at that time. For more information, visit the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles website.)

About the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force (GASAKI)

GASAKI was established in 2018 in partnership with the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar federal grant under the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance established the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to fund testing of previously unprocessed sexual assault kits across the country.

The GASAKI team consists of prosecutors, investigators, and victim advocates from the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, the Cobb County District Attorney's Office, the Prosecuting Attorneys Council (PAC), and CJCC (with resources from Bridging Hope) working collaboratively to solve cold case sexual assault crimes.

Additionally, the GASAKI Task Force relies on the ongoing work and commitment of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab.