Upstate man sentenced to life in prison for burglary, rape

A Spartanburg, South Carolina, man was sentenced to life in prison following his trial on charges of burglary, criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, officials say.

On Wednesday, Gregory Frye, 57, was tried and convicted of first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. The trial began Monday in Spartanburg. Circuit Court Judge Derham Cole presided over the trial and sentenced Frye to life in prison for burglary, 30 years for criminal sexual conduct and 30 years for kidnapping, according to court records.

On April 4, 1997, around 4 a.m., a young woman was asleep in her home at the Birds Nest Apartments on Bryant Road in Spartanburg. Gregory Frye removed a window screen, then broke a window to gain access to his apartment. Officials said Frye then held her on the bed with a pillow over her face and sexually assaulted her before leaving the apartment.

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During the young woman's examination for sexual assault by Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, semen was found and sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for analysis. A DNA profile of the rapist was established, but at that time no one who had ever given a sample during a police investigation matched this profile.

According to court records, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and the Spartanburg Police Department worked in conjunction with a local librarian who was proficient in using genealogy to track family trees. Using various genealogy services and SLED's DNA profile, the librarian was able to map the family tree of the anonymous rapist.

The librarian drew up a family tree of 2,500 people. Different branches of the family tree were eliminated based on the degree of relationship to the DNA profile of the anonymous rapist. The librarian's genealogical work eventually identified Frye as a possible suspect.

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After Frye was identified as a suspect, authorities learned that Frye lived at Birds Nest Apartments in 1997, in a building across the street from the victim's apartment. A sketch was made with the help of the victim in 1997 and closely resembled Frye's face. At the time of the attack, a neighbor at the Birds Nest Apartments came forward and said that shortly after the attack that morning, she saw a man outside her door who matched the sketch she had seen on the news.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Frye's DNA and his DNA was sent to SLED. Frye's DNA matched the sample taken during the victim's sexual assault examination, attorneys said.

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“I want to thank everyone who has worked on this case over the past 27 years to bring justice to the victim in this case. No one gave up on this case and the victim showed great courage in confronting her attacker in the courtroom,” said DA Barry Barnette.