Memorial Service Saturday for Slain Smyrna Woman

A memorial service will be held Saturday for a Smyrna hairstylist shot and killed Dec. 6 after leaving a downtown Decatur restaurant.

Karen Pearce, 44, of Smyrna, was killed in the 100 block of East Ponce de Leon Avenue by a suspected serial killer charged in the deaths of three homeless men. Witnesses reported finding Pearce laying on the ground as they left a parking area behind One Decatur Town Center.

The service for Pearce is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Due West Methodist Church in Marietta. Her family will receive guests afterward at True Beauty Salon and Spa in the nearby Avenue of West Cobb. Pearce worked there at the time of her death.

According to Pearce’s obituary, she had started taking nursing classes because she wanted to help others.

Survivors include Pearce’s parents Nell Sugg Pearce and Larry Moore Pearce, brother Kevin Brian Pearce and wife Helena of Durham; nieces Halle and Noelle Pearce of Durham; Uncle Jake Sugg and wife Kathel of Apex; cousins Kim, Cindy and Lewis and many friends.

A private burial will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church 2626 Pauls Path Rd. Kinston, NC 28504.

Aeman Presley, 34, was arrested Dec. 11 by undercover MARTA police when he allegedly tried to ride without paying a fare, WSB-TV said. Since Presley’s arrest, he has been charged with killing homeless men Dorian Jenkins and Tommy “Can Man” Mims on Nov. 23 and Nov. 26, as well as the Sept. 27 murder of Calvin Gholston. Gholston was shot multiple times at the Spring Mill Shopping Center in Stone Mountain, WSB-TV reports.

Presley remains behind bars at the Fulton County jail facing four charges of murder and one charge each of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, altering or selling tokens, transfers, or transaction cards, and willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes Presley as an out-of-work actor who has confessed to killing Pearce. On Tuesday, he waived a preliminary hearing in Fulton County Superior Court.

RELATED STORIES:

Suspected Serial Killer Threatened to Shoot Co-Worker: Colleague

Security Camera Captures Arrest of Suspected Serial Killer

Suspected Atlanta Serial Killer Tied to Fourth Murder

Decatur, Atlanta Police: Same Man Suspected of Multiple Murders

Decatur Police Chief: Officers Working Around the Clock to Solve Murder

UPDATE: Police Identify Woman Killed in Downtown Decatur

Police Investigate Shooting Death in Downtown

»Photo of Karen Pearce; screenshot from True Beauty Salon and Spa’s Facebook page