FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County officials said the man accused of posing as an interested condo buyer before killing the owner has pleaded guilty to her murder.
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office said Shamal Thompson, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of murder on Thursday in the death of nationally noted cancer researcher Dr. Eugenia Calle.
Calle was killed Feb. 18, 2009 in her unit at the Aqua Condominiums on 10th Street.
Police said Thompson gained access to the building by pretending to be an interested buyer. Officers said he was actually casing the building in an attempt to burglarize homes.
Calle, who heard Thompson express interest in buying, offered to allow him to view her home which she was placing on the market, police said. As Calle was showing Thompson around her condo, he attempted to rob her of money and jewelry.
Police said during the struggle, Thompson slammed Calle's head onto a granite countertop, which fractured her skull and killed her.
Thompson hid her body in the kitchen pantry before stealing money, credit cards and jewelry, investigators said.
Officials said Thompson then went on a spending spree for clothes. Witnesses saw Thompson drinking and dancing at a bar the night of Calle's murder. He also gave a woman he met that night some of Calle's jewelry.
Thompson was captured on video surveillance at the condo on the day of the murder and the next day in an apparent attempt to steal larger items that he was unable to carry out the first time. He fled the scene when questioned by security. He was arrested later that day after detectives tracked his vehicle.
Calle was a prominent cancer researcher who had received national recognition for her work, particularly with the American Cancer Society.
After pleading guilty on Thursday, Thompson was sentenced to life in prison.
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