Funeral set for woman in W Hotel fall

Print
E-mail

By Fran Jeffries

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Services have been set for the woman who died after falling from a 10th-floor window at the W Hotel in Midtown during a birthday party early Saturday.

Enlarge photo

Marika Dye, Tiffany Brown, and Sonja Williams, from left to right, friends of LaShawna Threatt, watch a video during a fundraiser for her funeral at the Aurum Lounge in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Threatt died in a fall from the 10th floor window of the W Hotel.

Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Marika Dye, Tiffany Brown, and Sonja Williams, from left to right, friends of LaShawna Threatt, watch a video during a fundraiser for her funeral at the Aurum Lounge in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Threatt died in a fall from the 10th floor window of the W Hotel.

More Atlanta/Fulton news »

The funeral for LaShawna Threatt, 30, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at World Changers Church in College Park. A fundraiser was held Wednesday night at the Aurum Lounge, 915 Peachtree Street, to help defray costs of the service.

Threatt's friend, Cierra Williams, 25, who also fell when the two women were reportedly playfighting near a window in the hotel room, remained in critical but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Friends told Channel 2 Action News that Williams has communicated through written messages.

Threatt's boyfriend, Ray Hamilton, said the women were near the window, horseplaying, tickling each other and hugging.

“LaShawna, she’s just a very affectionate person,” Hamiltion said.

Williams’ back was to the window, and Threatt was standing in front of her, Hamilton said. “They leaned back a little bit, and they just went out,” he said.

APD investigators have said a crime is not suspected.

"It appears that there was no malicious act, no foul play," said Atlanta police homicide commander, Lt. Paul Guerrucci. "They were just wrestling with each other. They hit the window. The window broke. And they fell out."

Kay Clark, Threatt's friend, said during the fundraiser that "even if they were thrown up against the window, it shouldn't have shattered."

In a statement issued Tuesday, hotel manager Michael O'Donohue said further information about the accident and investigation would have to come from police.

"We are taking this horrible accident very, very seriously. Like everyone, it’s hard for us to understand exactly how this happened. In addition to cooperating fully with the police investigation, we are also conducting an internal investigation."

--Photographer Curtis Compton contributed to this article.