DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An Atlanta man has been convicted for a series of violent crimes committed nearly 40 years ago, following a jury trial in DeKalb County.
Jurors found Jeffrey Briney, now 61, guilty of multiple charges, including rape, kidnapping, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, related to incidents that happened in 1986.
On March 28, 1986, four men forced their way into an apartment on Briarwood Road, holding five college students at gunpoint, tying them up, and raping two women before ransacking the apartment.
Later that year, on October 27, two men with a handgun entered an apartment on Buford Highway, assaulted the residents, and stole items.
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The cases remained unsolved until 2023, when DNA evidence linked Jeffrey Briney to the crimes. His DNA matched samples from both crime scenes, which are less than a mile apart.
Further DNA testing connected Jeffrey Briney’s brother, David Briney, to the Briarwood Road incident and several other cases. A trial date for David Briney has not yet been set.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation played a key role in testing the rape kits, which led to the breakthrough in the cold cases.
The case was prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Unit, and sentencing for Jeffrey Briney will be scheduled soon.
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