DeKalb County DA announces arrest of brothers linked to 1980s rapes, robberies
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The DeKalb County District Attorney held a press conference Wednesday to announce a development in a series of decades-old sexual assault cases.
Two men, 59-year-old Jeffrey Briney and 62-year-old David Briney, were arrested Feb. 27 in connection to multiple sexual assault cases from the 1980s. The suspects were identified via the efforts of the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force.
One of the incidents involved a home invasion on March 28, 1986. During that incident, four men forced their way into an apartment on Briarwood Road in what is now known as Brookhaven. Five students were in the apartment at the time. The men robbed the students and raped two of the young women.
In a similar incident on Oct. 27, 1986, two men with a gun forced their way into an apartment on Buford Highway and raped both women who lived there, tied them up, and left with their valuables.
In June 2023, DNA collected from one of the Briarwood rape victims came back with a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) match to Jeffrey Briney. The DNA also matched that of one of the attackers in the Buford Highway case. The two crime scenes are less than a mile apart.
In August 2023, DNA collected from the other Briarwood rape victim returned a CODIS match to David Briney. That DNA also tied David Briney to seven other cases, including one in Cobb County and six in Fulton County.
According to DeKalb County DA Sherry Boston, David Briney was indicted on two (2) counts of Rape, five (5) counts of Kidnapping, five (5) counts of Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery, five (5) counts of Aggravated Assault and two (2) counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.
Jeffrey Briney was indicted on four (4) counts of Rape, seven (7) counts of Kidnapping, one (1) count of Aggravated Sodomy, two (2) counts of Armed Robbery, five (5) counts of Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery, seven (7) counts of Aggravated Assault, three (3) counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and one (1) count of Possession of a Firearm by a First Offender Probationer in connection to two separate home invasion rape cases in DeKalb County.
Boston said that they believe the men may be connected to other cases. They are being held without bond.
Agencies involved in the investigation included DeKalb County DA, Cobb County DA, Prosecuting Attorney's Council, Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit, Fulton County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit, and DeKalb County Police Department.
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