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Piedmont Park murder: 'A familiarity' between victim and killer, investigators say

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Published  January 10, 2022 7:22pm EST
Midtown
FOX 5 Atlanta

Evidence indicates Piedmont Park murderer may have been familiar with victim, dog

Evidence in the fatal stabbing of a woman in Piedmont Park indicates the assailant and victim may be familiar.

ATLANTA - Law enforcement sources and a former prosecutor say elements of the Katherine Janness murder at Piedmont Park in Midtown suggest there may be "a familiarity" between the victim and the killer.

A top Atlanta Police Department commander said recently investigators are getting close to solving the gruesome crime from last July. Charles Hampton Jr., a deputy chief, did not provide details.

'WE ARE GETTING CLOSE': ATLANTA POLICE SAY PIEDMONT PARK MURDER INVESTIGATION STILL 'VERY ACTIVE'

Katherine Janness was found murdered in Piedmont Park on July 28. She was seen walking her dog near the park prior to her death.

Katherine Janness was found murdered in Piedmont Park on July 28. She was seen walking her dog near the park prior to her death.

But there are elements of the crime -- including some evidence which is public -- that a former Fulton County prosecutor says makes a "stranger-to-stranger" profile unlikely. 

Ash Joshi believes the reaction of the victim's dog is noteworthy. The assailant killed the pet as well.

Joshi, who is currently a criminal defense attorney, says a characteristic of a pit bull breed is to be "very protective" of the owner.

And yet, the killer apparently was able to get close enough to disable the dog before killing Janness. "It suggests a familiarity," Joshi said.

EVERYTHING KNOWN ABOUT THE MURDER OF KATIE JANNESS IN PIEDMONT PARK

Investigators say no DNA evidence in Piedmont Park murder

Investigators will have to rely on a possible profile and good old-fashion police work in solving the murder of Katie Janness who was found dead in Piedmont Park at the end of July 2021.

The former prosecutor also makes an assessment about what police commonly call overkill. There were dozens of wounds on the body. Joshi said the park murder indicates "high emotions".

And a derogatory word, confirmed by the medical examiner, was carved into the torso of the victim. The fact, Joshi said, may suggest something personal.

"It could also be an example of a dispassionate act, like what you see in a serial killing but I doubt it," Joshi said. He added police would expect to see that type of killer try again and that has not happened.

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