Police: DNA Leads To Charges In 1991 Rape

Jackson County prosecutors said they have charged a man with raping a 36-year-old woman in her home in September 1991.

Curtis L. Cornelius, 45, was charged with two counts of rape and one count of first-degree robbery. He was arrested at home last week.

Authorities said Cornelius was charged after his DNA profile was matched to trace evidence left at the scene of the rape. Laboratory results indicated that the expected frequency of the DNA profile is one person per 138 quadrillion individuals.
In court documents, Cornelius denied having sex with the woman. Prosecutors requested a $500,000 bond.

Investigators said Cornelius knew the woman who was raped.

"They were known through a mutual relative," said Sgt. Joe Crayon, with the Sex Crimes Cold Case Squad.

Police said the attacker entered the woman's bedroom in the middle of the night. He was wearing a mask and carrying a knife. The intruder put the knife to the woman's neck, cut her and threatened to kill her. The man raped her twice, stole her purse and then fled.

The victim told investigators that she's relieved the case will finally come to a close.

The case is the first one filed by the new Sex Crimes Cold Case Squad.

"We've having weekly meetings where we're taking the cases where we have DNA evidence on and we're reviewing the cases to see what type of quality case they are," Crayon said.

He said suspects who are at large, such as Cornelius, are getting first attention.

"We're going to reach back into the past, we're going to grab people that think that they got away with it, and we like to surprise people this way," Crayon said.

In 1992, Cornelius was tried for another rape and was found not guilty. Authorities first got his DNA from that case.

Cornelius faces multiple life sentences if convicted. There is no statute of limitations on rape.

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