Leighton D'Antoni
Leighton D'Antoni has spent the last 7 years as the Chief for the Dallas County DA’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) specializing in Cold Case Sexual Assault Homicides, Sexual Assaults and Serial Rapists identified through the testing of untested sexual assault kits. The Dallas DA’s SAKI Team has identified 74 serial offenders accounting for over 300 victims.
Leighton has taken 10 serial offenders to trial, each resulting in convictions. In 2019, Leighton tried the longest delayed death capital murder trial in Texas history, 30 years. The defendant was convicted and received a life sentence.
Leighton serves on the State of Texas Governor’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force, establishing a survivor-centered, trauma-informed response to sexual violence. Leighton represents SAKI nationally as an expert instructor for cold cases, serial killers, serial rapists and DNA for the Department of Justice (BJA), and the FBI BAU. He is DOJ-BJA certified in Forensic Genetic Genealogy Training. Leighton serves as a faculty member for the State Bar of Texas Advanced Criminal Law Conference and he was recently featured in A&E’s new series Interrogation Raw (Summer 2022).