Virginia man found guilty of 1992 cold case rape as part of initiative to test rape kits

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A 56-year-old Virginia man was found guilty this week of rape and armed burglary in a 32-year-old cold case, officials said. 

DNA evidence from the victim’s sexual assault kit was matched to Vernon Lorenzo Gay, 56, after it was retested two years ago. 

The retesting was part of a grant-funded Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative by the state’s attorney general that began in 2016. 

Gay climbed through one of the victim’s three children’s windows on the night of May 5, 1992, found her bedroom and raped her in her own bed while one of her children was in bed with her, the city of Norfolk, Virginia, said in a news release.

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A 56-year-old Virginia man was found guilty this week of rape and armed burglary in a 32-year-old cold case, officials said.  (Norfolk Police Department )

Another child was also in the room in a crib and a third was in the next room.

The victim wasn’t able to identify her attacker, and while a rape kit was administered, no leads were uncovered and the case went cold. 

In July 2022, the rape kit was submitted for testing and Gay was found as a match last November. 

Gay’s defense team claimed that he had consensual sex with her, which the victim denied, telling police when a match was made that she didn’t know him. 

The jury found Gay guilty of rape and armed burglary with intent to commit rape on Wednesday after deliberating for under two hours. 

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“Today’s verdict brings much-needed solace and closure in this cold case, underscoring the unrelenting commitment of state and local law enforcement to secure justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said. “I’m gratified that our SAKI initiative helped fund this vital partnership and made this resolution possible.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Once again, Norfolk leads Virginia with the first SAKI [Sexual Assault Kit Initiative] jury to go forward in the Commonwealth,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said in a statement. “Thank you to former Attorney General Mark Herring and Attorney General Jason Miyares for devoting resources to test back evidence cases in cases like these.”

He added, “The wheels of justice may move slowly, but they never stop, and we have served justice today. I am glad that we were able to bring a measure of closure, after all this time, for the survivor and her family, and to be able to hold Vernon Gay responsible for this terrible crime.”

Gay’s family maintains his innocence. 

“He’s a very, very good person. Good father. Good friend. Good worker. Good uncle. Good brother,’ one of Gay’s relatives told WVEC-TV. 

Fatehi explained to WAVY-TV that the “statute of limitations on a felony in Virginia is forever.” 

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Gay’s sentencing hearing has been set for Dec. 20. 

“Today’s verdict brings much-needed solace and closure in this cold case, underscoring the unrelenting commitment of state and local law enforcement to secure justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said. “I’m gratified that our SAKI initiative helped fund this vital partnership and made this resolution possible.”