ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta woman spent nearly 30 years waiting to find out who killed her mother.
Police have now arrested charged the victim’s former boyfriend with her murder.
Elandra Loyal was just five years old when her mother, 29-year-old Bridgett Lockhart, was shot and killed in 1999.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
She’s spent all of that time searching for answers for her family and others by becoming a DeKalb County police officer.
Loyal asked Atlanta police to take another look at her mother’s murder, which pointed them to 61-year-old Jannara Sherrer.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden obtained court documents that say Sherrer became jealous after Lockhart when bowling with another man.
In the arrest affidavit, detectives cite evidence like a .25 caliber bullet recovered from Lockhart’s body and a witness who told investigators that Lockhart carried a .25 caliber handgun.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Daylight Saving Time year-round? US House passes bill to lock the clock
- Road rage incident ends with driver being shot while getting off I-85
- Owners charged after 3 dogs attack three people in north Georgia
Detectives say getting to call Loyal and give her the news that she’s been waiting decades to hear was a moment they will never forget.
“She breathed a sigh of relief. She broke down crying, and she thanked us,” Det. Summer Benson said.
Since the arrest, Seiden has learned that an autopsy was performed in 1999, but police say the results were never communicated to investigators. A sexual assault kit was also completed, but was not submitted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations until last month.
He asked why, but investigators say they are still looking into it.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
