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DNA Cracks 1993 Rape Cold Case

Posted at 2:01 PM, Aug 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-09 14:01:38-04

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – DNA in a 1993 rape cold case was used to target a man police say raped a 13-year-old girl as she walked home from a football game.

DNA obtained through a rape examination identified James Ashley Fields as one of the men who allegedly raped a teenager in the backyard of her home after she walked home from a football game at her school. 

A warrant for Fields says the girl was approached by two men. They went into the backyard of her home where they smoked marijuana and drank. Then, two of the men grabbed the girl and took turns raping her.

After the sexual assault, the suspects placed a rope around the victim’s neck and escorted her from her backyard. After walking several blocks from the victim’s residence, the suspects released the victim who ran away and reported the crime to the police. The victim received a sexual assault exam. 

The kit was tested by KSP and the sample matched James Ashley Fields’ DNA. A subsequent police interview with Fields revealed that he lived in Lexington around the time of the assault.

The Kentucky State Police say they applied for a grant that allowed them to test old cold cases.

Fields is currently lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

According to the Kentucky State Sex Offender Registry, Fields was charged with attempted rape in 2002.