Erica Atkins killed by employee, thrown in creek: police
Romero Johnson (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)
The much-respected Atlanta-area bookstore owner was found dead in a creek this week, with law enforcement saying one of her ex-boyfriends, an employee, kidnapped and killed her.
Romero Johnson, 38, has been charged with kidnapping and murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Erica Atkins, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
According to a copy of the incident report obtained by Law&Crime, officers from the Locust Grove Police Department called Atkins’ home at 2:50 a.m. on March 5 to report a missing person.
Once there, investigators determined that there were “suspicious circumstances” surrounding the disappearance of the individual, identified as Atkins.
Detectives determined that Johnson was a person of interest.
After several hours, investigators found Johnson and booked him in the Henry County Jail. Since Atkins had not been found, authorities initially charged Johnson with kidnapping.
Deputies recovered Atkins’ body from a creek on the line dividing Putnam County and Jones County around 1:30 p.m.
An affidavit from investigators states that between 11:30 p.m. on March 4 and 12:30 a.m. on March 5, Johnson “intentionally and knowingly abducted Atkins” when he “pulled a body-sized sheet” with which to cover Atkins’ body covered their garage. He then placed it in the back of his vehicle. Detectives said they obtained surveillance footage from a house across the street showing Johnson bringing the body into the vehicle.
Investigators found human blood in the rear passenger compartment of Johnson’s vehicle. The vehicle was recently cleaned and vacuumed, police said.
Police also discovered blood and an earring that belonged to Atkins at the same spot in the driveway where Johnson allegedly dragged her body.
In an interview with Detectives, Johnson allegedly said he was at Atkins’ house the night before, but said she was fine before leaving, and then went straight home and fell asleep. However, surveillance camera footage showed he was not driving until 3:21 a.m., the affidavit said.
“When confronted with the inconsistencies, Johnson shut down and asked for a lawyer,” police said.
One of Atkins’ friends told Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA-TV that she was a “pillar of the community”.
“Erica was a busy woman. She is committed to helping her community. She donated books – donated her time. In fact, she came to my summer camp last year and read to my kids — she donated her time there,” friend Shanna Amoah told the channel. “Erica was just a pillar in our community. It was just named National Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.”
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/a-pillar-of-the-community-beloved-georgia-bookstore-owner-allegedly-killed-dumped-in-creek-by-employee/ Erica Atkins killed by employee, thrown in creek: police
