Investigators in Georgia are actively seeking potential victims of Julius Hunter, a convicted sex offender from Florida. DNA evidence has linked him to three sexual assault cases involving women allegedly lured via Craigslist job advertisements.
Hunter, aged 42, faces charges including rape, aggravated sodomy, and kidnapping related to a 2016 incident involving a 19-year-old victim at a Clarkston apartment complex. A DeKalb County grand jury indicted him on August 11.
Before his arrest in Georgia, Hunter pleaded no contest to an unrelated sexual battery case in Florida in 2021, which involved his former girlfriend. Authorities are now probing what they suspect is a wider pattern of assaults.
“Hunter grew up in New Jersey, so it is possible there may be victims there,” stated DeKalb County District Attorney Investigator Brandi Rogers.
Hunter’s DNA matched evidence from two additional sexual assault cases in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties from 2016 and 2017. While he has not been charged in these cases, law enforcement is unable to locate the two women involved.
$300 Babysitting Job Incident
The 19-year-old victim believed she was going to a $300 overnight babysitting job when Hunter arranged a ride to an apartment on Jolly Avenue on July 27, 2016. Upon arrival, she found only Hunter and another man, with no children present. She attempted to leave, but Hunter allegedly restrained and sexually assaulted her over several hours before her release the next day.
She fled in a cab, asking the driver to contact 911, and later met with police at a gas station before undergoing a sexual assault exam at a hospital. The second man present has not been identified or charged.
Florida Arrest Leads to DNA Match
The Clarkston case remained unsolved until a male DNA profile from the victim’s assault kit was added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). A match was found after Hunter’s 2021 Florida conviction, linking him to the Clarkston and additional cases in Georgia.
Hunter was apprehended in Fort Lauderdale on August 13, following his indictment by the DeKalb County grand jury. He was extradited to Georgia and detained in the DeKalb County Jail on August 20, while serving an 11-year probation sentence for his Florida conviction.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Public Defender Council, representing Hunter, has declined to comment.
Pattern of Similar Craigslist Ads
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced on September 14 that the Georgia cases had common elements beyond DNA evidence. They noted that Hunter used Craigslist postings to solicit women for roles involving babysitting, modeling, dancing, and massages.
Rogers explained, “The number of incidents in such a short timeframe suggests more potential victims.”
The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force is investigating the cases, urging anyone who believes Hunter may have victimized them to contact law enforcement. Rogers emphasized that reaching out does not require victims to pursue prosecution.
Rogers encouraged, “We ask anyone who believes they may have been victimized to call our tip line at 404-371-2444.”
Victims are encouraged to share their experiences to receive support, regardless of their decision about prosecution.