A Fulton County grand jury has indicted a man accused of stabbing to death a 77-year-old Buckhead grandmother.
Antonio Marquavis Brown, 23, was arrested in December, two days after Eleanor Bowles was killed. Last week, a grand jury indicted Brown on 12 charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, and abuse of an elder person for the murder.
“This office is committed to bringing justice to Eleanor Bowles’ family and loved ones,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a statement. “I am keeping them in my prayers as we prepare to prosecute this senseless murder.”
On Dec. 10, Bowles was found in the garage of her home when one of her sons arrived to visit for the holidays, according to her family and police. Investigators previously said they believe Bowles may have interrupted the suspect earlier that day, between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., as he tried to steal her 2021 Lexus Rx 350.
The following day, investigators released surveillance camera images of a person of interest seen near Bowles’ SUV. Brown was in custody within 24 hours. He remained Tuesday in the Fulton County jail, where he is being held without bond.
Bowles, a grandmother of two, is survived by two sons and numerous other relatives and friends. Her loved ones say she should have been safe in her home in a gated community less than two miles from the Governor’s Mansion.
“The wheels of justice have begun to move for my mother,” Michael Bowles said in a statement released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after his mother’s death. “This has been a nightmare for our family. My mom should have been safe in her home. If she wasn’t safe, no one is. I grew up in Atlanta, my wife was born here, and my brother and his family live here. We love this city, but we have all been disappointed at the horrific acts of crime that have plagued Atlanta for far too long.”
Credit: Family photo
Credit: Family photo
Earlier on the day Bowles was killed, Brown was allegedly already intoxicated when he tried to buy a bottle of vodka at a Buckhead liquor store, according to an Atlanta police report.
When the store employee told Brown no, he grabbed the bottle and left the store, the report states. From there, Brown is accused of walking less than a half-mile to Paces West Terrace, where Bowles was killed.
Brown’s Fulton County arrest records go back to March 2019, when he was arrested on a shoplifting charge.
In January 2020, Brown was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, giving a false name and not having prescription drugs in an original container, court and jail records show. He was credited for serving 45 days in jail, ordered to complete 30 community service hours and was sentenced to 12 months on probation in February of that year, according to court records.
In August 2020, Brown was arrested on charges of simple assault and aggravated assault. The aggravated assault charge was later dropped and he was again credited for time served for the lesser charge. Brown was released from jail Sept. 2, 2021, after serving more than a year, records show.
Then on June 6, Brown was charged with disorderly conduct, according to an Atlanta police report.
Bowles’ killing was the 157th homicide of 2022 in Atlanta. The city had 170 for the year.
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