DeKalb County: Serial rapist Demetrius S. Roam sentenced to 50 years

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by guilty plea in the case against Demetrius Samuel Roam, 22, of Atlanta who is accused of assaulting two women within a one-week span in October 2020.

Roam pleaded guilty to two counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Assault Strangulation, Aggravated Assault with Intent to Rape, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Aggravated Sodomy, and Rape stemming from the assaults of the two women at an apartment complex in Atlanta.

Roam has been linked to several additional assaults, including: an additional rape at the complex in October 2020; an attempted assault at the complex in August 2019; two rapes in Clayton County in October and December 2019; and four rapes in Birmingham, Alabama between September 2019 and August 2020. It is possible that Roam is responsible for similar unreported assaults, the District Attorney’s Office stated.

According to the investigation, on Oct. 17, 2020, officers from the DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) responded to a call at an apartment complex at 2500 Shallowford Road in Atlanta, where Roam lived with a family member. The female victim, 20 years old at the time, told officers she met a man on social media and agreed to meet him at the apartment complex.

As the victim and the man walked toward his apartment, he grabbed her from behind and dragged her into an apartment. He began strangling her and put a knife to her neck. The victim grabbed the knife and cut her fingers. While strangling her, Roam tried to get the victim to undress and forced her into a bathroom. The victim was eventually able to push the defendant out of the bathroom. When it sounded like he had left the apartment, the victim ran to a neighbor who had already called police after hearing screams. The victim’s purse, credit cards and phone were missing. Officers found blood in the bathroom consistent with the victim’s account.

On Oct. 23, 2020, DKPD responded to another call at 2500 Shallowford Road. The female victim, 22 years old at the time, reported that she planned to meet a man that she had met online at the apartment complex.

While walking toward the apartment to meet her date, a man who the victim did not recognize started walking in the same direction. He made a statement about having to check on his laundry and turned toward the victim. As the victim walked past the laundry room, the defendant grabbed her in a chokehold and pushed her toward a closet. She felt a knife at her side, and he told her to undress. The defendant undressed, put a condom on, forced the victim to perform oral sex and raped her. When he finished, the defendant let the victim out of the closet and she ran away.

Police found a sleeping bag and a condom wrapper in the closet where the assault occurred. In describing the defendant, the victim noted that he had a distinct red tattoo on the front of his neck.  

During the investigation, DKPD learned that Defendant Roam was a suspect in a 2019 rape case at the complex that had gone cold. A photograph of Roam was included in a lineup, and both victims identified him as the assailant who attacked them.

Roam was arrested on Oct. 24, 2020 and has remained in custody at the DeKalb County Jail without bond. In an interview with police, he admitted to having sex with the victim on Oct. 23 but claimed he had offered to pay her, according to the investigation.  He initially denied knowledge of the assault on Oct.17, but eventually stated, “I didn’t mean to hurt her, she grabbed the knife.” Roam also admitted to taking the victim’s belongings, and led police to the location where he had thrown the purse and credit cards behind the apartment. He claimed to have kept the phone.  

After entering a non-negotiated guilty plea, Roam was sentenced by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha F. Jackson. In accordance with the State’s recommendation, Judge Jackson sentenced Roam to 50 years to serve plus life on probation.  He must register as a sex offender and is banned for life from social media.  Under Georgia law, the defendant is not eligible for early release on the custodial portion of the sentence.  

The case, assigned to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Furhawn Shah with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Ashley Johnson, and District Attorney Investigators Shawna Barber and Chrissa Lynch. DeKalb County Police Department