DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A friend of a hair stylist who was killed got her first look at a man police are calling a serial killer. Aeman Presley, 34, pleaded not guilty to murder in one of four killings he is accused of. He faces the death penalty in DeKalb County for one of the slayings.
It is why his attorneys asked the judge to keep our camera out of the courtroom for a hearing where the public would see Presley for the first time. "This case has received notoriety here," Presley's capital public defender, Gerilyn Bell, told Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams. "The defendant's due process rights would be substantially violated by camera coverage."
Judge Adams disagreed and allowed Channel 2 cameras to stay inside.
The hearing is where Presley heard he faces the death penalty for the murder of Marietta hairdresser Karen Pearce. "Your honor on March 5th, 2015, the state filed its written notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Mr. Presley," DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney Hannah Cross said.
One of Pearce's friends came to court to see the man accused of taking away her friend. She didn't want to comment on camera.
Another friend told Channel 2 Action News she recently she is sorely missed. "She was a wonderful person and her friends loved her," she said.
Pearce was murdered in December as she walked from a restaurant.
Police say Presley also murdered Calvin Gholston in September when he shot him in the head. "We would waive formal arraignment on that case and enter a plea of not guilty," Bell told the court.
Presley is also accused of murdering Tommy Sims and Dorian Jenkins in Atlanta. The two homeless men were shot as they slept in blankets.
The Fulton County District Attorney has announced he plans to seek the death penalty in those two killings.
WSBTV
