A Birmingham man has been indicted in the rape of a 77-year-old woman that happened nearly 15 years ago.

A Jefferson County grand jury in January indicted 34-year-old Julian Delance Poole on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree burglary.

The attack happened about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 18, 2010, in Grayson Valley.

The victim, who used an oxygen tank, was asleep when she awoke to find a man standing by her bed. The man attacked and sexually assaulted her, Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said at the time.

He asked her where she kept her gold and cash and left the room telling her not to call the police. She waited ten minutes and called 911.

Money was taken from her purse. The victim was treated on the scene by paramedics and taken to a hospital.

Deputies said her attacker broke a window to enter the house. Deputies searched the area for him but to no avail.

There were no suspects or leads, and the case went cold, said spokesman Henry Irby.

However, evidence collected at that time proved to be crucial to later identifying Poole as the suspect.

“Detectives followed up on available evidence and were able to identify the suspect,‘’ Irby said. “They believed the case was particularly heinous and deserved a second look.”

Irby said additional details aren’t being released at this time.

Poole was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force in August.

The case was then presented to the grand jury which return the indictments on Jan. 17, 2025.

“Our detectives never stop working a case,‘’ Sheriff Mark Pettway said. “I am proud of their tenacity in identifying this suspect.”

Poole remains in the Jefferson County Jail.

Anyone with additional information on the case is asked to call investigators at 205-325-1450.