Cold case: Man charged with 1998 rape in Raleigh after long-delayed test of DNA evidence
A man charged with kidnapping and rape in a 1998 sexual assault cold case appeared in court Tuesday.
Erwin King, 58, of Chowan County, was charged Monday with felony first-degree rape and felony first-degree kidnapping. His arrest comes 25 years after the 1998 assault police say occurred in the 5500 block of Duraleigh Road in Raleigh.
The victim, who WRAL News will not name for safety reasons, was 22 at the time of the alleged rape. She said she was walking home when it happened.
Police said King lived in the neighborhood where the rape occurred.
Evidence against King surfaced in September as part North Carolina's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
In 2019, the state received $2 million in funding to test previously un-submitted sexual assault kits, investigate and prosecute the associated cases.
"This is an initiative that started in 2019 [and] thousands of kits have been tested across the state," said Wake County's District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. "It's unfortunate it's been that long to be able to bring these cases."
There are still over 140 cases waiting for DNA comparisons and results, Freeman said.
"Making that call, reaching out to victims of cases when it's been 20 years ... it's a rewarding experience," Freeman said. "Victims of sexual assault will tell you no matter how long it's been they continue to live with trauma."
According to Freeman, the victim in King's case has been contacted and will be involved in the prosecution.
"Regardless of how long it's been, for us to seek justice for them is an important step," Freeman said.
According to a report from the State Crime Lab in October 2022, the average turnaround time to analyze a rape kit was about 18 months. Progress has been incremental and slow, yet steady.
In his court appearance on Tuesday, King was ordered held without bond and was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
The prosecution called him a "career criminal," with felonies dating back to the 1980s. King, however, maintained his innocence.
He said in court Tuesday, "I have been living a productive life ... I haven't committed this crime. I have not done this, I am innocent."
Since the 2019 law took effect, 8,924 kits have been tested, and there have been 67 arrests in cold cases statewide, including 32 in central North Carolina. Recently, tested kits have led to 15 arrests in Durham and 10 in Raleigh.
