SAKI Unit Receives Guilty Verdict, Life Sentence on First Degree Rape, Attempted Murder Charges from 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 17, 2024

SAKI Unit Receives Guilty Verdict, Life Sentence on First Degree Rape, Attempted Murder Charges from 2022

New Orleans, LA – On April 22nd, following a lengthy jury trial that lasted more than two weeks, three defendants—Jordan Mitchell, Dylan Johnson, and Zakyis Bolden—were found guilty for their roles in an assault of two young girls from St. Tammany Parish in June 2022. Mitchell and his accomplices drove two teen girls to Orleans Parish where one was sexually assaulted, and both were shot and left for dead. Both victims survived but sustained permanent injuries that they will have to navigate for the rest of their lives as a result of the shooting.

Mitchell was found guilty of two counts of attempted first degree murder and one count each of first-degree rape, first degree kidnapping, and armed robbery. Bolden and Johnson were each found guilty of two counts of attempted manslaughter.

Both survivors spoke at the May 16th sentencing about the physical and emotional toll that the crimes had on their lives. The survivors emphasized that they will continue to deal with the repercussions of the defendants’ actions for the rest of their lives.

At the conclusion of yesterday’s sentencing hearing, which included the above victim impact testimony, Orleans Criminal Court Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas sentenced Mitchell to life in prison. Bolden and Johnson received 15 years each for their guilty verdicts on attempted manslaughter.

This verdict and sentence were made possible through the hard work and expertise of a specialized unit within the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office called Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), along with the First Assistant District Attorney Ned McGowan.

“The SAKI team and I are grateful that we were able to get these verdicts for the survivors,” said First Chair ADA Penny Kissinger.“ What these young women endured is horrible, and it is our hope that they can go on to live full, productive, lives with this trauma behind them.”

First Assistant McGowan emphasized the extraordinary job ADAs Meghan Falcon, and Kissinger, trial assistant Sydney Houlemard, victim advocate Ariel White, and investigator David Benelli did to carry this case to conclusion over the last two years.

“These cases, where the violence is so extreme, are never easy,” McGowan said. “Our team showed up every day ready to fight for these survivors and show their loved ones that they are not alone. We hope our advocacy and this verdict help bring some solace.”

SAKI/SVU Division Chief Mary Glass closed with an acknowledgment of how this particular case and sentence personify the work of her division: “This case gets to the heart of what the SAKI team does. The voices and rights of survivors are important, above all, in achieving justice.”

The SAKI team within OPDA works on cases where evidence is collected through a sexual assault kit and cold case sexual assaults. This program is funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Administration.