Woman beaten, caged released from hospital

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The 21-year-old prostitute who was severely beaten and caged was released from the hospital on Saturday. But the five people responsible remain in the Fulton County jail.

The man who police say ordered the beating and the four women responsible were denied bond in their first court appearances Saturday morning. They are facing a series of felony charges, including kidnapping and aggravated assault. The five will return to court in two weeks, said Tracy Flanagan, spokeswoman for the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

The beaten woman was taken to Grady Hospital for treatment of her injuries Friday after she was found in a hotel room off of Fulton Industrial Boulevard near I-20, Fulton County Det. Melissa Parker told the AJC. Her eyes were swollen shut and she had a wound on her head from the beating, Parker said.

The woman was severely beaten and forced into a cage as punishment for trying to get away from her pimp, police said. She was released from Grady on Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Police said David Lee Walker, 27, ordered the punishment. He faces assault, battery, kidnapping and pimping charges, Parker said.

Walker apparently located the woman at the Varsity restaurant on North Avenue in Atlanta on Thursday, Parker said. He then ordered four other women to beat her for 30 to 40 minutes and place her in a 3-by-5 foot cage, police said.

The woman was allowed out of the cage on Friday. A citizen overheard talk about the woman's beating and alerted police, Parker said.

The four women involved have been charged with aggravated assault for their roles in the beating, police said. They include: Amber Knight, Whitney Luckett and Robertenette Gordon-Deaver, all 24, and 20-year-old Keyanna Powell, 20, Parker said. Knight is also being charged with false imprisonment.

-- AJC staff writers Mashaun D. Simon and Kristi E. Swartz contributed to this story.