Homeless Buckhead murder suspect robbed liquor store same day as deadly stabbing, police say
Atlanta police update homicide of 77-year-old Buckhead mother, homicide of 2 children at Atlantic station
Atlanta police are expected to hold a press conference at 7 p.m. on two violent cases that have shaken up the city: the recent Paces West Terrace stabbing of a 77-year-old mother after a car robbery, and the gang-related shooting that claimed the lived two children, 12 and 15, near Atlantic Station just after Thanksgiving.
ATLANTA - A man arrested for breaking into a 77-year-old woman's Buckhead home and stabbing her to death may have robbed a nearby liquor store on the same day as the attack, according to an Atlanta Police Department report.
Police found 77-year-old Eleanor Bowles dead with "multiple lacerations" on Dec. 10 in her home on Paces West Terrace. Police announced Tuesday that investigators arrested and charged 23-year-old Antonio Brown for Bowles' murder.
On the same day as the murder, police identified Brown as a suspect in a liquor store robbery that happened less than half a mile from the deadly stabbing scene.
Antonio Brown (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
The alleged robbery happened at a liquor store on Northside Parkway between 11:30 a.m. and noon on Dec. 10. According to the police report, Brown "is known for being a homeless male in the area and always under the influence."
An employee said they denied Brown a bottle of Absolut Vodka, and "he grab (sic) the bottle and walked out of the location." The employee said he looked intoxicated when he was in the store. Police saw him on security footage.
Investigators initially said someone killed Bowles between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 10. Security footage from the Paces West neighborhood showed a "person of interest" wearing all-black clothing.
SON SAYS FINDING 77-YEAR-OLD MOM STABBED TO DEATH AFTER CAR ROBBERY ‘WILL BE WITH ME FOREVER’
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said a neighbor identified Brown and he was arrested within 24 hours of police releasing a photo of the suspect.
"The killing of Ms. Bowles is understandably rocking our community," the mayor said.