Man Extradited To Cobb In Rape, Murder Cold Case: DA

NORTHEAST COBB, GA -- A man charged in a double rape and murder more than 30 years ago was recently extradited to Cobb County to face prosecution, according to District Attorney Vic Reynolds.

Cobb Sheriff’s deputies traveled this week to Pennsylvania to bring Ronald Lee Kyles, 62, to Georgia to face multiple charges, including two counts of malice murder, eight counts of felony murder, burglary, two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation. SIGN UP: To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Marietta Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Kyles was booked into the Cobb Adult Detention Center on Thursday night, a news release from the DA's office said. Kyles' detainment wraps a decades-long saga that began in Cobb County in the mid-1980s.

In September 1986, Sharon Brady and her 13-year-old daughter, Samantha, were found dead in their apartment on Cole Street in Marietta. Despite an extensive investigation by Cobb authorities, the case went unsolved for years.

In 2013, the Cobb DA formed a Cold Case Unit with local law enforcement agencies to look into unsolved murders and sex crimes. The Cold Case Unit got a grant from the Department of Justice three years ago, facilitating the testing of forensic evidence in this case.

“Since forming the Cold Case Unit in 2013, we’ve had remarkable success in solving some of these cases thanks to the partnership we’ve developed with local law enforcement agencies such as the Marietta Police Department and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office,” DA Vic Reynolds said in the news release. “We will never forget these cases and we look forward to being able to bring violent offenders to Court on behalf of victims and their families, who are deserving of justice.”

DNA evidence identified Kyles, serving time in a Pennsylvania prison for aggravated assault, as a suspect in the Cobb case. Cobb officials served him with an arrest warrant in November 2015. The following January, a Cobb grand jury indicted Kyles on multiple counts involving murder and rape.

Cobb officials hope the new development in the cold case can bring a sense of closure to the families involved.

“I do not think that whenever a family member loses a loved one they can ever find closure, but hopefully this will help the Brady family in some way,” Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren was quoted as saying.

As Cobb officials attempted to bring Kyles to justice, he fought extradition. But in April, Gov. Nathan Deal and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf fostered a deal to return Kyles to Georgia to face the charges.

Marietta Police Deputy Chief Marty Ferrell added, “The Cold Case Unit is a force multiplier in bringing criminals to justice. We appreciate the efforts of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office in bringing Ronald Lee Kyles back to Georgia to face the charges against him. The Marietta Police Department is committed to the pursuit of justice and will work diligently with the District Attorney’s Office to bring this case to successful prosecution.”

A court date for Kyles has not yet been established, but he has been assigned to the courtroom of Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben M. Green.

Image via Cobb Sheriff's Office