Investigator: Suspected Serial Killer Had "Bloodlust" After DeKalb Slaying

Sign up for the Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch newsletter!

---

Photo of Aeman Presley courtesy of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office

A man who stands accused of killing three homeless men and a woman in separate incidents in DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta sought out further victims after experiencing a high following his first alleged killing, an investigator said in a court filing.

Aeman Presley developed a “bloodlust” after the killing of Calvin Gholston in DeKalb County in September, according to an investigator’s sworn statement reported on by the Associated Press. Presley originally sought to rob someone for money, the investigator said, but the murder of Gholston allegedly gave Presley an adrenaline-fueled high.

Presley has been charged with the murders of Karen Pearce and Calvin Gholston in DeKalb County, and the murders of Tommy “Can Man” Mims and Dorian Jenkins in the City of Atlanta. Mims, Gholston, and Jenkins were all homeless men, while Pearce was a hairstylist from Smyrna.

Presley was arrested by undercover MARTA police when he allegedly tried to ride without paying a fare on Dec. 11. He remains behind bars at the Fulton County jail facing two charges of murder and one charge each of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, altering or selling tokens, transfers, or transaction cards, willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and additional charges filed by DeKalb police.

DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James announced last month that he will seek the death penalty against Presley.