South Raleigh News

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today congratulated the Raleigh Police Department on making two arrests last week in sexual assault cold cases. Stein expressed, “The victims of these terrible crimes deserve our best efforts to solve their cases and hold their offenders accountable.” He also commended the Raleigh Police Department for their dedication in eliminating the backlog of sexual assault kits and advancing cold case investigations, stating, “I also want to thank the State Crime Lab scientists for their work to test evidence in the pursuit of justice.”

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson echoed Stein's sentiments, stating, “The Raleigh Police Department is grateful to the Department of Justice and Attorney General Josh Stein’s leadership in supporting the SAKI initiative. This initiative allowed us to provide closure to sexual assault victims and bring to justice those who commit heinous crimes against members of our community. We look forward to continued successes through our strong partnership.”

The arrests made by the Raleigh Police Department included Tracy Lamont Thompson and Lontren Lawrence Walker. Thompson was charged with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape, second-degree sexual offense, attempted second-degree rape, and assault by strangulation in relation to cases from 1998, 2007, and 2009. Walker, on the other hand, faced charges of first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault by strangulation for an alleged sexual assault in 1998.

These arrests were facilitated by the State Crime Lab’s evidence analysis through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The analysis of old kits led to hits in the national CODIS DNA database, with the Crime Lab achieving over 1,200 CODIS hits between July 1, 2023, and March 21, 2024. To date, the Lab has achieved more than 11,213 CODIS hits and aided over 8,969 investigations.