New Sex Assault Kit Testing Law Leads To 1st Conviction

SMYRNA, GA — A Smyrna man is the first to be convicted under a new Georgia mandate to test old sexual assault kits, according to a release from Cobb County. Ricky Remon Moss, 49, will now serve multiple life sentences for raping a 16-year-old girl in 1998.

According to the release, Moss met the victim in 1998 and committed the rape just a few days later. The victim, then 16, reported the rape to Cobb police and had a sexual assault exam, but didn't know Moss' last name. Police were unable to identify him.

The kit was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after a new law passed in 2016 which required all kits to be submitted. In December 2017, the crime lab found a match on Moss' DNA as a convicted felon, the release says.

He was convicted by a jury late Thursday.

"This day has been a long time coming. The courage shown by the victim and the other women who bravely testified and relived their horror these many years is truly remarkable," Senior Assistant District Attorney Theresa Schiefer said in the release. "Their bravery and perseverance has ensured that this predator will never hurt another woman or child."

Schiefer and Investigator Christie Nerbonne are part of the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative task force, the release says, which investigates and prosecutes cold case sexual assaults.

"I am elated that now, more than 20 years after this man took advantage of the innocence of a teenager, truth has prevailed," District Attorney Joyette Holmes said in the release.

Moss was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 10 years to serve in custody.