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A homeless Georgia man accused of stabbing a grandmother to death at her home in one of Atlanta’s wealthiest suburbs was indicted for murder last week.
Antonio Brown, 23, was charged with 12 counts spanning from murder to armed robbery after the death of Eleanor Bowles in the suburb of Buckhead.
The 77-year-old Bowles was found dead in her garage by her son Michael as he returned home to stay with her for the holidays. It is believed Bowles walked in on Brown while he was trying to steal her Lexus SUV.
In a statement after her death, Michael said he was pleased the process of seeking justice for his mother was underway, but lamented that his mother ‘should have been safe in her home. If she wasn’t safe, no one is.’
The indictment comes as Buckhead has been exploring the possibility of seceding from greater Atlanta, as rampant crime from the city center has worked its way north into the ritzy suburb.
Antonio Brown, 23, was indicted for the murder of Eleanor Bowles at her Atlanta home
Bowles, 77, was found stabbed to death in her garage by her son Michael in December
Brown was indicted on four counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, burglary in the first degree, theft by taking robbery, theft by taking, abuse of an elder person, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
On the day of the Murder on December 10, it is believed Brown committed a robbery a local liquor store while intoxicated. He allegedly attempted to buy a bottle of vodka, but when refused by store employees snatched the bottle and fled.
He then is said to have made his way to the gated community where Bowles lived about a half-mile from the liquor store.
Brown is suspected of entering the neighborhood on foot, but police are still unclear about how he made it past the community’s security.
From there he allegedly entered Bowles’ garage, which is detached from her house, and tried to make off with her Lexus RX 350 sometime between 11:30am and 12:30pm, according to the Atlanta Constitutional Journal.
Police suspect Bowles surprised Brown during the attempted theft. They said she was found with ‘multiple lacerations.’
Brown was arrested two days after the incident, after security footage from Bowles’ driveway showing him was circulated.
Son Michael said finding his mother murdered was a traumatizing experience.
‘I was on my way to visit her for the holidays and got to her a few hours too late,’ he told FOX 5. ‘Finding her like that is something that will be with me forever. What happened to her was her worst nightmare. It’s most people’s worst nightmare.’
Police released this photo of a man believed to be Antonio Brown as he enters Bowles’ Lexus
Bowles’ Buckhead home, which is worth nearly $800,000, where she was knifed to death
Ellen Bowles pictured with her son Michael Bowles, who discovered her dead in her garage
Bowles’ murder was just one of the latest frightening crimes which has led residents of Buckhead to consider seceding from Atlanta.
Residents first voiced the notion of secession from the rest of Atlanta in 2008, after a newsletter was circulated proposing that the move could reduce residents’ taxes by 50 percent.
The motion largely fizzled, but was rekindled again in 2021 as a means of curbing violent crime which was growing in the area.
‘We are living in a war zone in Buckhead,’ secession advocate and Buckhead resident Bill White told Bloomberg at the time. ‘Shootings and killings, it just never ends.’
But the movement was dealt a blow this week after Governor Brian Kemp expressing concern over prospect of secession, saying it could be in violation of a number of Georgia laws.
Kemp’s administration submitted about a dozen questions about the constitutionality of secession, and cautioned the move could ‘ripple into a future of unforeseen outcomes.’
That setback came just after the movement experienced a major victory Monday when a Georgia senate committee approved the secession bills which allowed discussion of the movement to move on to the full senate.
Georgia’s senate is set to vote on Thursday about whether or not to put secession on 2024 ballot.
Ellen dances with her son Michael. She was described as ‘kind, precious, funny, loving’ on a GoFundMe page set up in her honor
Bowles was a mother of two, and was characterized as ‘kind, precious, funny, loving’ on a GoFundMe page set up in her honor.
Described as a fierce lover of animals, all proceeds from the fundraiser are being donated to the Atlanta Humane Society.
Her son Michael said in a statement he was dedicating himself to make sure his mother’s death spurned action against violent crime.
‘I am committed to getting the word out about this outrageous tragedy. And I want everyone to understand that none of us are safe,’ he said. ‘I hope that people read this story and understand this, and then maybe we can all collectively effectuate some change. I will carry that message with me forever, for mom.’
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