It was a cool December evening in Decatur, Georgia, when the life of Karen Pearce, a 44-year-old woman, was tragically cut short. On the night of Saturday, December 6, 2014, Pearce, a talented and popular hairstylist from Smyrna, had enjoyed a night out with friends at a restaurant in the downtown area. Shortly after leaving the establishment to walk to her car, her life took a violent and unexpected turn. Witnesses later reported hearing a gunshot in the vicinity of the parking deck behind One Decatur Town Center on East Ponce de Leon Avenue. It was there, around 11 p.m., that a person leaving the parking structure discovered Pearce's body lying on the ground.
The initial investigation by the Decatur Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation treated the case as a homicide, as it was apparent that Pearce had been fatally shot. The news of her death sent shockwaves through the community and among her friends and colleagues at True Hair Salon & Spa in Marietta, who remembered her as a woman with a beautiful heart who was also diligently pursuing a nursing degree. In the immediate aftermath, there was no clear motive for the killing, and police explored whether she was specifically targeted or the victim of a random act of violence. Her friends were baffled, stating that she had no known enemies and was focused on her career and education.
The break in the case came swiftly. Within days, investigators identified a suspect, Aeman Lovel Presley, a 34-year-old unemployed actor with a criminal record. Presley was arrested on December 11, 2014, by MARTA police for an unrelated offense of trying to board a train without paying. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a revolver and ammunition that would later be ballistically linked to the murder of Karen Pearce and several other killings. During questioning, Presley confessed to shooting Pearce. His wallet was also taken after the murder, adding armed robbery to the charges.
Presley's arrest uncovered a much darker and more extensive series of crimes. He was not only responsible for the death of Karen Pearce but was also a serial killer. He was subsequently charged with the murders of two homeless men in Atlanta, Dorian Jenkins and Tommy Mims, who were shot in November 2014 as they slept. He was also indicted for the September 2014 murder of another homeless man, Calvin Gholston, in a Stone Mountain shopping center. In June 2016, to avoid the death penalty, Aeman Presley pleaded guilty to the murders of Karen Pearce and Calvin Gholston. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
