Lithonia Man Denied Bond in 2008 Cold Case Rape Linked Through DNA Evidence
DECATUR, Ga. — A Lithonia man who coaches youth baseball in south DeKalb County has been denied bond after being charged in connection with a 2008 sexual assault case involving a 17 year old girl.
44-year-old Elzie Walter Fulks was indicted by a DeKalb County grand jury in November 2025 on one count of rape and two counts of aggravated sodomy. Authorities said the charges stem from an attack that occurred in July 2008.
A grand jury arrest warrant was issued for Fulks, who was taken into custody on Jan. 16, 2026. He was charged with Rape, and 2 counts of Aggravated Sodomy.
During a hearing Wednesday, March 4, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson denied Fulks’ request for bond. He remains in the DeKalb County Jail.
According to investigators, the victim reported that she was walking to a MARTA station when a man driving a dark colored Ford Explorer stopped and offered her a ride. Instead of taking her to the train station, the man drove the teenager to a residence where she was assaulted before being dropped off near MARTA.
After returning home, the victim told a family member what had happened and the incident was reported to authorities. The teenager later underwent a sexual assault examination at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance launched the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a program aimed at funding the testing of previously unprocessed sexual assault kits across the country.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office participates in the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force, which was created in 2018 in partnership with the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Through that effort, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tested the sexual assault kit associated with the case, resulting in a DNA match to Fulks in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System in 2018.
Although the crime was initially reported in Fulton County, investigators there transferred the case to DeKalb County in 2024 after reviewing the facts and circumstances.
The case is being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Unit.
“I am proud of the diligent work of all our Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative partners who continue to ensure cases that may have previously slipped through the cracks are prosecuted,” DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said. “It is critical that these survivors get their day in court and that the offenders are held responsible, no matter how much time has passed.”
Because the case remains open and pending, the District Attorney’s Office said it cannot provide additional comment at this time.
