McDonough man pleads guilty in Fayette County cold case rape

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - A McDonough man will go to prison for 30 years for rape in a cold case recently solved by deputies in Fayette County.

Joe Arnold, 46, pleaded guilty to rape and false imprisonment in the 1998 rape of a Fayette County woman.

DA Marie Broder said the case was cold but was never forgotten by law enforcement here. On March 24, 1998, an intruder beat a woman with a baseball bat and raped her in her home.

"I can’t say enough about the investigators in this case. You could see it in their eyes when they talked to me about that this case was so important to them," said Broder.

The break in the case came when investigators took a DNA sample collected from the victim at the time of the crime and they got a near match on a family member of Joe Arnold. They knew the suspect was not the family member. They then developed a profile and that lead to the arrest of Arnold.

In 2020, investigators said they took a DNA sample from Arnold and got a direct match with that 1998 evidence.

It’s called familial DNA and DA Marie Broder said this was the first prosecution using it in Fayette County.

"As I was presenting the plea agreement in court, I could just feel the relief of the family behind me," Broder said.

Investigators said even delayed justice has come at a price for the victim and her family. They said it has been a very traumatic experience for them. So, they hope with Arnold on his way to prison this emotional wounds can now heal.

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