ATLANTA — Nearly 30 years after an Atlanta mother was murdered, the person police believe is responsible is now in custody.
Bridgett Lockhart was killed July 31, 1999, on Oakcliff Court. She was 29 years old.
Last month, her daughter joined Atlanta police and pleaded for someone to come forward.
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Police announced on Monday that they have arrested and charged Janarra Sherrer, 51, with Lockhart’s death. Sherrer turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail.
He is charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Atlanta police say Sherrer is a convicted felon with previous crimes including child abandonment, battery, aggravated sexual battery, theft and more.
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Lockhart’s daughter, Elandra Loyal, now works as a DeKalb County police officer. She said her search for answers for her mother motivates her to help others find justice.
“As a child, I couldn’t comprehend why she was gone or why our lives had changed forever. But as I grew older, the confusion turned into a need for answers,” Loyal said. “It’s a different feeling when you can help others, but when you can’t get the answers for yourself, it really hurts.”
Police said then that they were searching for a man who was her boyfriend of around six months at the time, likely with the name Janarus or Janaris.
Sherrer is being held in the Fulton County Jail.
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