Capital and Cold Cases
The District Attorney is committed to not seeking the death penalty as a bargaining tool. The practice of bargaining with death is something that she finds reprehensible and an act a prosecutor should never do. She inherits an office with eight open death penalty cases. No case where a death penalty conviction has been entered by a jury will be disturbed. The community has spoken on those cases and the verdict shall stand without interference from the incoming District Attorney.
All current death penalty cases where death notice has been given will be closely evaluated in the first quarter of 2021.
This Unit will also prosecute cold cases. This unit shall serve as a resource and a partner to the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative unit which is the bridge between Special Victims Division and the Major Crimes Division.
Major Crimes
The District Attorney took office on January 1, 2021, with over 200 murders having been committed in Fulton County the year before. Sadly, Fulton County has faced a distressing increase in violence in recent months.
To do her part in improving public safety in our county, the District Attorney has restructured the office’s handling of major crimes and brought in a team of experienced, respected prosecutors to handle the most complicated murder cases, including those with multiple defendants and challenging facts and evidence.
The new team has quadruple the experience of the lawyers who have been handling these cases in recent years, and all have extensive trial experience. All are also dedicated public servants with compassion for victims and their families, and with a passion to seek justice and to truly improve the safety of everyone in Fulton County.
Gangs
Fulton County has a serious gang problem, and the District Attorney is dedicated to fighting it. The Gang Unit has experienced prosecutors and investigators who have specialized training in fighting gang violence.
The District Attorney and her team are committed to building new bridges to federal and state law enforcement to combat the growing problem, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the State Attorney General and the GBI. She is also working to increase cooperation with District Attorneys and police departments in neighboring counties to coordinate anti-gang initiatives.
Appeals
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office has a team of bright, experienced appellate attorneys who work to uphold the justice won by our trial attorneys. When a defendant appeals a case after a conviction, the appeals unit files briefs and argues cases. Appeals unit lawyers will also consult with trial teams on matters of law during trial that may be grounds for appeal post-conviction.
As with other parts of the office, the District Attorney is bringing new attorneys with additional experience into the unit. Such expertise will improve public safety in Fulton County by ensuring that the convictions handed down by juries against dangerous defendants are upheld.
Conviction Integrity
The District Attorney is committed to ensuring that every case is handled justly and fairly, and that every conviction and sentence won by the office is deserved. The Conviction Integrity Unit examines cases prosecuted in the past when a concern has been raised that an injustice may have happened.
The District Attorney has expanded the scope of the Unit’s responsibility. Prior to her administration, it was focused only on whether a conviction itself was just. It may now also examine sentences, as an injustice sometimes occurs when an unduly harsh sentence is imposed on a guilty defendant.
The Unit’s attorneys and investigators are empowered to look at all the facts and circumstances of a case to determine whether the defendant is truly guilty and deserving of the sentence that was imposed. If an injustice is determined to have occurred, the unit will seek to reopen a case and take corrective action.
Elder Abuse
The District Attorney is committed to protecting the most vulnerable among us. Unfortunately, every community has cases where people choose to target those who cannot protect themselves, including Fulton County.
Inspired by her own concern for her elderly grandparents and parents, the District Attorney created a Unit focused on protecting the elderly. Too often the elderly are victims of physical abuse, financial exploitation and other crimes to which they may be especially vulnerable. The Elder Abuse Unit prosecutes crimes against our senior citizens.
Animal Abuse
For too long, law enforcement did not treat crimes involving abuse of animals with the seriousness they deserve. Victimizing animals is terrible crime, and is often violence that will lead to additional acts of violence later if the perpetrator is not stopped.
In the interest of ensuring that crimes involving animal abuse are treated with the seriousness they deserve, the District Attorney has attorneys and investigators in the office who specialize in these cases.