Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Sex Offense with Teen
NEWS RELEASE
June 9, 2021
For immediate release
Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Sex Offense with Teen
DURHAM, NC — A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in 2009.
Jordy Russell Quillen (09CRS053054) pleaded guilty in Durham County Superior Court to attempted statutory sex offense with a 13, 14, or 15-year-old, which is a Class B2 felony. Quillen, now 39, was 28 at the time of the assault.
The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Unit Assistant District Attorney Blake Norman.
Norman stated in court that on December 1, 2009, the victim was walking through the woods with Quillen to another person’s house when Quillen struck her in the back of the head with a hammer multiple times, knocking her unconscious. She awoke to find Quillen attempting to penetrate her. The victim suffered significant head injuries as well as post-traumatic stress. A sexual assault evidence kit was completed at the time and later tested, along with DNA evidence from the hammer. Results were returned from each in 2020 matching Quillen.
Quillen’s conviction is the second 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. On May 25, 2021, James Randall Harris pleaded guilty to a 2010 rape.
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, a total of thirteen people have been charged in 17 assaults going back to 1984. ADA Norman is assigned to work with the Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit and prosecute sexual assault cases, including those that stem from the Police Department’s efforts to submit previously untested evidence kits for testing.
Quillen was sentenced to a minimum active sentence of 180 months and a maximum of 225 months, with credit for time he has already served since turning himself in to South Carolina authorities in 2013 and informing them of this case and a separate instance of sexual misconduct with a minor there. In addition, he was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson 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.
