Clayton County

Accused serial rapist may be tied to 7 more local cases

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — An accused serial rapist charged with attacking eight women is now suspected of attacking even more.

Police say for years, Kenneth Bowen III, 24, terrorized a local community. Multiple women claim Bowen attacked them.

Clayton County police arrested Bowen last month after they linked his DNA to at least eight of the attacks.

“We are looking at approximately seven other incidents right now,” Lt. Thomas Reimers, with the Clayton County Police Department, said.

Reimers told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that Bowen has not been charged in those cases but said detectives are in the process of submitting evidence to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab.

The cases include six rapes and a battery.

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“He's been identified in a photo lineup on one of the rape cases that has been linked by DNA, and he has been identified in another case that we're still investigating right now,” Reimers said.

Reimers told Winne that before Bowen was identified as a suspect, detectives began poring over records of 911 calls about suspicious person calls. The victims said the attacker often waited near their homes.

On a 2016 call, an officer had recorded Bowen's information. Investigators said although he was not charged at the time, that was a key break in the case.

“We started to look at him as a potential suspect,” Reimers said.

Reimers said two victims reported the attacker had tattoos on his right arm.

Investigators said Bowen had been a Clayton County police recruit but was eventually fired and never made the force.

A check of Bowen's file showed he had tattoos on his right arm.

Detective Michelle Alston said she remembers one victim's reaction to news of the arrest. She said the strong and resilient victim's tears surprised her.

“It was bittersweet,” Alston said. “It kind of broke my heart because I know that this is the beginning of closure for her. She still has to deal with the aftermath about what was done to her.”

Bowen’s attorney, John Turner, read a prepared statement over the latest allegations.

“Mr. Bowen asks the public not to prejudge his guilt. Mr. Bowen reminds the public of his presumption of innocence at this stage of the proceedings. The legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence has not been tested in the court,” Turner said.

Turner said he has filed a motion in court seeking to have Bowen released from suicide watch in the Clayton County Jail, alleging harsh, unsanitary and inhumane treatment that “constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.”

A statement from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office said, “Sheriff Victor Hill believes it is inhumane to rape women."

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