In the pre-dawn hours of November 23, 2014, Dorian Jenkins, a 42-year-old man, was sleeping on a sidewalk at the intersection of Courtland Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard in Atlanta. He was wrapped in blankets against the late autumn chill, a familiar sight in the city's landscape of those experiencing homelessness. It was in this vulnerable state that his life was violently taken.
Jenkins was shot multiple times at close range, the bullets concealed by the very blankets that offered him meager warmth. His body was discovered later that day, just after noon, sparking an investigation into a seemingly senseless act of violence.
The initial investigation revealed the brutal nature of the killing; an autopsy confirmed that Jenkins died from several gunshot wounds. Police were deeply concerned by the attack, noting the cold-blooded nature of a shooting that targeted a man as he slept. The case took on a more sinister dimension when, just three days later, another homeless man, Tommy Mims, was found shot to death in a similar manner nearby. This second killing heightened fears that a serial killer was targeting the city's most vulnerable residents. Investigators believed both shootings occurred late at night while the victims were asleep and noted the similarities between the two cases, offering a reward for any information that could lead to an arrest.
A breakthrough in the case came with the arrest of Aeman Lovel Presley, a 34-year-old man. Presley, a struggling actor, was apprehended by MARTA police at the Georgia State rail station for fare evasion. At the time of his arrest, he was found to be in possession of a loaded revolver and a box of ammunition. Ballistic testing later confirmed that the. 45-caliber revolver was the weapon used to murder both Dorian Jenkins and Tommy Mims.
Following his arrest, Presley confessed to the killings of Jenkins and Mims, as well as two other murders. His other victims were Calvin Gholston, another homeless man, and Karen Pearce, a hairdresser. According to court filings, Presley's motive was described as a 'bloodlust' that began after his first killing. In January 2017, Aeman Presley pleaded guilty in Fulton County to the murders of Dorian Jenkins and Tommy Mims. To avoid the death penalty, he accepted a plea deal that resulted in a life sentence. He was already serving two life sentences for the other two murders.
