Man Pleads Guilty to 2010 Durham Rape in First SAKI Conviction
NEWS RELEASE
May 25, 2021
For immediate release
Man Pleads Guilty to 2010 Durham Rape in First Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Conviction
DURHAM, NC — A man pleaded guilty in Durham County Superior Court on Tuesday to a 2010 rape. The conviction is the first to result from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative involving the Durham Police Department’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit and the Durham County District Attorney’s Office.
James Randall Harris, Jr. (20CRS001377) pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, a Class C felony. The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Unit Assistant District Attorney Blake Norman.
ADA Norman was assigned to work with the Durham Police Department’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit in July 2020. The unit is supported by a National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant that funds two cold case sexual assault investigators, one victim-witness assistant and one prosecutor for three years. The grant, which was awarded to the Durham Police Department in 2019, provides additional resources to test previously unsubmitted sexual assault evidence kits, investigate and prosecute cold case sexual assaults, and support victims throughout the process.
Since early 2019, the Durham DA’s Office, Durham Police Department and Durham Crisis Response Center have worked together to review the results of sexual assault kit testing and determine how to proceed. Through this collaboration, thirteen people have been charged in 17 assaults going back to 1984. Harris’s case is the first of those to reach a conviction.
ADA Norman stated in court that on March 9, 2010, the victim was walking on Meriwether Drive when a man grabbed her from behind, threatened her, and dragged her off the sidewalk before raping her. Following the assault, the victim flagged down a police officer. Because Harris pulled the victim’s sweatshirt over her face during the attack, a sexual assault evidence kit completed and submitted for testing at the time was critical to identifying him. Between the assault taking place and the kit being tested, law enforcement lost contact with the victim and criminal charges were not initially filed. Charges were filed in September 2020 after Durham Police Department cold case sexual assault investigators were able to make contact with her.
“Sexual assault kit testing and the efforts of the Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit made all the difference in this case,” said Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry. “This is the kind of case outcome that makes victims and communities feel safer.”
“Cases like this take significant commitment of investigative and prosecutorial resources. Today’s outcome is an example of why focusing on the most serious and violent offenses is the best use of resources in the criminal legal system, and exactly why that is our focus at the Durham DA’s Office,” Deberry said. “We thank our partners at the Durham Police Department for their hard work and dedication. I hope this sends a message to all survivors of sexual assault in our community that together we are taking these cases extremely seriously.”
Harris, 45, was sentenced to a minimum active sentence of 101 months and a maximum of 131 months. In addition, he was ordered to not have contact directly or indirectly with the victim and to not oppose a permanent no contact order if requested. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Foghludha presided.
The Durham County District Attorney’s Office employs about 40 people, including prosecutors, administrators, victim service coordinators, legal assistants, and support staff. The Office is led by District Attorney Satana Deberry, who took office on January 1, 2019. The Office handles all criminal cases in Durham County. Find more information about the role of the district attorney on the Durham DA’s Office Medium page.
