District Attorney Paul Howard Announces Indictment in First Cold-Case Squad DNA Hit

Richard Hambrick Charged with Murder, Rape in 1986 Killing

Atlanta-Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. (Atlanta Judicial Circuit) announces that Richard Hambrick (49) has been indicted for the 3 October 1986 murder of Clydine Dallas (37). Hambrick has been formally charged with murder, felony murder (three counts), rape, and burglary.

Ms. Dallas, a popular employee of WSB-TV at the time of her death, was found raped and murdered in her apartment at 339 Holly Street in northwest Atlanta. She died of strangulation by ligature (with her bed sheets). At the autopsy, swabs were taken from her body. In October of this year, the Multi-Agency Cold Case Squad located these swabs at the GBI Crime Lab and transported them to Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas, Texas for processing. In November, Cellmark developed a profile of an unknown male’s DNA from swabs, and, one month later, the GBI Crime Lab uplifted this unidentified profile into the Combined DNA Index System (C.O.D.I.S.) and received a “cold hit” on the Dallas swabs identifying Hambrick—a known offender. On 6 December, the Squad arrested the defendant at his Atlanta residence for the murder of Ms. Dallas.

CONTACT: Erik Friedly, 404-224-0560 (office); 770.583.6069 (pager); erik.friedly@co.fulton.ga.us