An aspiring actor accused of fatally shooting three people — including two homeless men in downtown Atlanta — also killed a schizophrenic man in September, police said Tuesday. Aeman Lovel Presley, 34, is suspected in the murder of 53-year-old Calvin Gholston, who was shot Sept. 27 at a DeKalb County strip mall where he was known to sleep.
Gholston, nicknamed "Butterball," wasn't homeless but would wander when he went off his medication, his brother told NBC affiliate WXIA. "This guy (Presley), from what the police told us — this man knew every bus route, he knew the train schedules, he knew what time the place closed, so he preyed on him," Gholston's brother, Cedric Gholston, said of the suspect. "This guy preyed on him, and he probably did the same thing to the other victims."
Presley, who describes himself as an actor on his Facebook page, was caught last Thursday after police said he passed through a rail station entryway without paying the fare. Gholston was allegedly Presley's first known victim. Presley later shot two homeless men — 42-year-old Dorian Jenkins and 68-year-old Tommy Mims — in separate incidents during Thanksgiving week as they slept in Atlanta's downtown, police said. A week later, Presley allegedly targeted hair stylist Karen Pearce, 44, as she left a restaurant in nearby Decatur.
Police connected the homeless deaths through the same type of gun they found on the suspect, and then Presley allegedly confessed to killing Pearce, investigators said Tuesday. They added there may be more victims and were working on a motive. Presley remains jailed in Fulton County.
IN-DEPTH
- Homeless Shooting Suspect Aeman Presley Charged in 3 Atlanta Slayings
- Atlanta Police Searching for Killer Who May Be Targeting Homeless
- Same Type of Gun Used in Atlanta's Two Homeless Killings: Police