Local

Family reveals new details about Atlanta Instagram influencer’s alleged killer and how she died

AUSTELL, Ga. — Family members say a man who is accused of murdering a metro Atlanta Instagram influencer had been dating the victim.

Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was in Austell Monday, where 22-year-old Beauty Couch’s body was found near her burning car. She had been stabbed to death, investigators said.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Couch was a roller-skating influencer with nearly 150k followers. She went by Beauty Katera online and shared videos of herself dancing at the rink.

Eugene Louis Jacques was arrested in Louisiana and charged with murder.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Newell spoke to Couch’s sister, Leila Brown, who said her sister’s relationship with Jacques was relatively new and that she found him odd.

TRENDING STORIES:

“I thought he was a very quiet guy,” Brown said. “Almost abnormally quiet.”

Jacques did not live in Georgia when Couch met him, but had recently moved to the area. He was also a roller skater and lived in Florida previously and moved to town to be closer to Couch.

Brown said that at first, the relationship seemed normal.

“When they were dating, because they weren’t dating long, he was always taking her out or buying her flowers,” Brown said. “Nice gestures like that”

Couch’s mother, Kimberly Couch, had a different opinion of Jacques.

“Bad vibe about him. Period,” Couch said. “I want to really just look at him and say, ‘Why? WHY?’ How could you do that to an innocent, beautiful person?”

Brown just said she’s glad Jacques has been caught.

“I know this journey is far from over,” she said.