Serial rapist Wesley Cooley pleads guilty, admits to targeting women who were alone

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man linked by DNA to at least nine rape cases across metro Atlanta was sentenced Friday to three life terms without the possibility of parole.

Wesley Cooley received the sentence in DeKalb County after entering a blind plea in the rapes of four women.

The assaults Cooley admitted to occurred between 2012 and 2017, prosecutors said. The victims in those cases were between 16 and 26 years old.

Evidence from the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative helped investigators link Cooley to the crimes.

During court proceedings, Cooley admitted he targeted women who were alone, offering them rides before assaulting them.

Wesley Cooley

Although Cooley pleaded guilty to four cases in DeKalb County, prosecutors said his DNA has been linked to at least five additional cases across the region.

Investigators connected Cooley to the assaults through the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, also known as GA-SAKI.

Officials said that when the assaults began, Cooley’s DNA was not yet in law enforcement databases. Investigators later matched DNA evidence to Cooley, leading to the charges and his eventual plea.

The case faced significant delays over several years. A jury trial was originally scheduled for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic indefinitely postponed court proceedings, and the trial never took place.

Two victims who were assaulted as teenagers testified in court Friday. Some of the women said they never believed they would see the day Cooley was sentenced. One victim said Cooley should never again be able to commit such crimes.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston held a news conference within an hour of the sentencing and emphasized the importance of pursuing cases regardless of how much time has passed.

“No matter how much time has passed, you will be brought to justice,” Boston said.