Second man convicted in 1993 Moultrie rape case to receive a new trial

Kasmira Smith, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·2 min read

May 23—MOULTRIE — A man once convicted of rape and sentenced to serve 50 years was granted a new trial last week.

Sedrick Demetrius Moore, 48, has been in prison since his conviction in February 2002, but new case findings have led him to seek a new trial.

Moore was one of three men charged with the rape of a Southwest Moultrie woman. He was also charged with armed robbery, four counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, aggravated sodomy and burglary. He was found not guilty of aggravated sodomy and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Moore, Tyrone White and Kerry Robinson were each accused of invading the victim's home, stealing about $180 in cash and later forcing the victim to have sexual intercourse, according to court documents filed with the Colquitt County Clerk of Court's Office.

White implicated Moore and Robinson and testified against them in exchange for a plea deal. White was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Robinson was sentenced to serve 20 years and Moore was sentenced to serve 50 years.

A GBI forensic scientist's testimony claimed that DNA test results connected Moore and Robinson to the crime, but the GBI's new DNA analysis excluded Robinson and Moore as matches for the partial DNA profiles found.

Robinson was exonerated and released from prison in 2020 due to the recent DNA results. In April 2022, state lawmakers approved Robinson as one of two men to receive a compensation package for wrongful conviction.

There remains one factor connecting Moore to the crime.

Court documents show that a statement from a neighbor of the victim placed Moore in the area, and the neighbor picked him out of a lineup.

"At the trial in 2002, the neighbor did not remember anything about the case so the investigating officer was permitted to read the statement given to police in 1993 to the jury," the case document said.

Moore's motion for a new trial was received by the Colquitt County Clerk of Court's Office May 12.