The king county prosecuting attorneys office (kcpao) will utilize funding to implement the kcpao cold case prosecutor program

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (KCPAO) received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The purpose of the grant is to implement the KCPAO Cold Case Prosecutor Program, which will designate a dedicated prosecutor to work exclusively on unsolved homicide cases where a suspect DNA profile has been developed. Key activities include creating an inventory of unsolved homicides, identifying cases suitable for filing, and prosecuting homicide charges when appropriate. Expected outcomes include increasing the number of prosecutions for unsolved homicides and solving cases that could not previously be prosecuted. The grant award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The purpose of the program is the designation of a dedicated prosecutor with experience prosecuting cold case homicides to work exclusively on unsolved homicide cases, with an overarching goal of reducing unresolved homicides where a suspect DNA profile has been developed and the case is awaiting further investigation and/or prosecution. Project activities include creating an inventory of all unsolved homicide cases in king county and identifying the unsolved homicide cases where a suspect DNA profile has already been developed. Once those cases are identified, the cases will be carefully reviewed to compile demographic and other data; determine additional investigative steps; and determine if the case is suitable for filing. The kcpao cold case prosecutor will file homicide charges, when appropriate, and that case will be prosecuted by the kcpao homicide unit prosecutors. Expected outcomes of this program include increasing the number of prosecutions of unsolved homicides as well as solving cases that cant be prosecuted due to evidentiary and non-evidentiary reasons, with both outcomes providing answers to grieving families.