A man arrested on robbery charges in 2019 has been linked through genetic testing to the rape or sexual assault of 10 women a decade earlier, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.
Johnnie B. Green Jr. was charged with nine counts of rape and 15 counts of sexual offense, according to a news release.
Green pleaded guilty on Sept. 12 before Superior Court Judge Claire Hill to those and other charges. On Oct. 6, Green was sentenced to 23 to 28 years and four months in prison, the release said.
He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of burglary, three counts of breaking and entering, four counts of kidnapping, six counts of common law robbery, and one count of attempted common law robbery, the release said.
Between June 2009 and November 2010, the release said, 10 sexual assaults were reported in Fayetteville and were linked to the same suspect.
The man’s DNA was recovered at six of the crime scenes and was entered into the National Combined DNA Index System. No matches were made, and the cases remained unsolved until 2018, the release said. Fayetteville police Lt. J. Somerindyke arranged to have the DNA sample sent to Parabon Nanolabs for genetic testing to identify a potential suspect.
That testing identified Green as a suspect in the rapes and sexual assaults, which investigators said were similar in circumstance, location, time of day, and descriptions of the assailant, the release said.
In March 2019, Green was arrested on outstanding robbery charges from the 1990s, which led to the collection of his DNA sample, the release said. That sample was entered into the DNA database and on April 26, 2019, was matched to Green.
The DNA sample also was linked to seven other cases in multiple jurisdictions, according to police.
Victim advocates with the Phoenix Center work with police detectives to ensure that victims of sexual assault receive appropriate care and access to resources, the Police Department news release said. The Phoenix Center can be reached at 910-485-7273.
