DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Jeffrey Briney, an Atlanta man, has been sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison after his conviction for a series of cold case sexual assaults in the metro area.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said Briney was found guilty of numerous charges, including rape, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, related to two separate incidents nearly 40 years ago.
On Thursday, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie sentenced Briney to eight life sentences and 185 years.
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During the sentencing hearing, all four women who survived the assaults delivered victim impact statements, describing how the attacks “shattered” their lives but also how they found strength to heal.
The crimes occurred on March 28 and Oct. 27, 1986, when Briney and other assailants invaded apartments in the Atlanta area, holding victims at gunpoint and committing sexual assaults.
The cases remained unsolved until 2023, when DNA evidence linked Briney to the crimes through the federal Combined DNA Index System.
The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force played a crucial role in solving these cold cases, the DA’s office said, using federal grant resources to process previously untested sexual assault kits.
DNA evidence also connected Briney’s brother, David Briney, to the crimes and other cases, but a trial date for him has not yet been set.
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