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Suspected serial killer allegedly confessed to Decatur murder

Decatur Metro ATL

Suspected serial killer allegedly confessed to Decatur murder

Aeman Lovel Presley. Photo provided by Atlanta INtown
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Aeman Lovel Presley. Photo provided by Atlanta INtown

Aeman Lovel Presley. Photo provided by Atlanta INtown

This story has been updated. 

A suspected serial killer accused of murdering four people confessed to killing a woman in downtown Decatur, according to a document obtained by Decaturish.com.

The arrest warrant alleges that while he was in police custody, Aeman Lovel Presley, 34, confessed to killing Karen Pearce, 44, on Dec. 6. Pearce, a Smyrna resident who worked as a stylist on Marietta, left a local restaurant and was walking close to where her vehicle was parked. Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot in the area before Pearce’s body was discovered on a walkway near a parking deck behind One Decatur Town Center.

A MARTA police officer arrested Presley on Dec. 11 for unlawfully entering the fare gates at the Georgia State rail station. He remains in the Fulton County Jail. Decatur Police announced the arrest on Dec. 12, saying they’d obtained arrest warrants for Presley. Atlanta Police also accuse Presley of murdering two homeless men: Dorian Jenkins, on Nov. 23, and Tommy Mims, on Nov. 26. WSB-TV reported Monday evening that Presley will also be charged with killing a fourth person, Calvin Gholston, on Sept. 27. To read that story, click here.

The warrant obtained by Decatur Police says Presley was “under the scope of Miranda” when he made his alleged confession. A Miranda Warning advises suspects in criminal cases that their statements can be used against them and they have the right to an attorney. The warrant says Presley, “provided information not even released to the victim’s family” when talking to a Decatur Police investigator. Presley allegedly said that he had only stolen Pearce’s wallet and the warrant claims he told police officers where they could find it. The warrant says they found Pearce’s wallet in a dumpster, just as Presley allegedly said.

The warrant also claims that Presley informed the investigator of the approximate time frame that he could be seen on a security camera arriving and departing from the crime scene. Police looked at the security footage provided by MARTA and checked the records on Presley’s MARTA Breeze Card. Both records matched Presley’s account.

The warrant contains no information about the evidence police have that allegedly connects Presley to the murders of Jenkins and Mims.

According to Atlanta Police, on Nov. 23 at 1 pm police found a 42-year-old man, later identified as Jenkins, near the intersection of Courtland Street and Ralph McGill Blvd wrapped in blankets. The man was unresponsive. It appeared he’d been sleeping on the sidewalk, 10 feet from the road. An autopsy showed he’d been shot multiple times police said. On Nov. 26 around 9 am, police found a 64-year-old man, later identified as Mims, wrapped in blankets near 386 Northside Drive who was also unresponsive. He was also shot multiple times, an autopsy revealed. According to WSB-TV, in the murder of the homeless men the suspect used an elongated 45-caliber bullet, sometimes referred to as a cowboy bullet.

The warrant for Pearce’s murder provides no information about the weapon used. Decatur Police have declined to be interviewed about the details of this case.

“This suspect is tied to other ongoing investigations,” Decatur Police Sgt. Jennifer Ross said Monday.

A Facebook page for a man with Presley’s name says he’s an aspiring actor who attended Stone Mountain High School. The AJC confirmed that Presley is an actor who appeared in two movies. CBS Atlanta reports that Presley had been homeless and lived at the Gateway Center for two months prior to the murders.

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