Florida Sex Offender Accused of Luring Victims Through Craigslist Ads Linked to Georgia Assaults

Georgia investigators are seeking additional victims of a convicted Florida sex offender, Julius Hunter, 42, who they believe lured women into sexual assaults through fake job advertisements on Craigslist.

Hunter faces rape, aggravated sodomy, and kidnapping charges in Georgia in connection with a 2016 attack on a 19-year-old woman. A DeKalb County grand jury indicted him on August 11. This Georgia indictment followed Hunter's plea of no contest in an unrelated 2021 sexual battery case in Florida involving his former girlfriend. Investigators are now examining what they suspect is a broader pattern of sexual assaults linked to Hunter.

Investigators have identified DNA evidence linking Hunter to the 2016 assault in Clarkston, Georgia. The victim had responded to a Craigslist ad for an overnight babysitting job that offered $300. Upon arriving at an apartment complex, she found no children, only Hunter and another man. The woman alleged that Hunter prevented her from leaving and sexually assaulted her for several hours before releasing her the following day. She reported the assault to police and underwent a sexual assault exam.

Hunter's DNA also matches evidence from two other sexual assault cases in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties in Georgia, occurring in 2016 and 2017. Authorities have not yet charged Hunter in these cases, as they have been unable to re-establish contact with the victims. Investigators are also exploring the possibility of victims in New Jersey, where Hunter grew up.

The breakthrough in the cold cases came after Hunter's 2021 Florida conviction. His DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which then matched the profiles from the Georgia sexual assault kits. Hunter was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on August 13, two days after the DeKalb County indictment, and extradited to Georgia, where he was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on August 20. At the time of his Georgia arrest, Hunter was serving an 11-year probation sentence for the Florida conviction.

Investigators noted that the Craigslist advertisements used by Hunter to solicit women often promised jobs such as babysitting, modeling, dancing, and massages. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office stated that the similarities among the cases suggest a potential pattern of predatory behavior.

The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force, a multi-agency effort focused on investigating cold-case sexual assaults, is leading the investigation. Authorities are urging anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Hunter to contact law enforcement at 404-371-2444. Officials emphasize that coming forward is intended to offer support to victims, regardless of their decision regarding prosecution.