Man gets life sentence for deadly 2020 crime spree in DeKalb
An Atlanta man was convicted Wednesday on multiple charges, including armed robbery and murder, stemming from a violent crime spree he committed in DeKalb County as a teenager in 2020.
Alexander Amarion Rolax, 21, was found guilty on nine counts, including malice murder, armed robbery and multiple gun charges, DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a news release. Immediately following the jury’s verdict, Rolax was sentenced to life plus 40 years, though he retains the possibility of parole.
According to Boston, Rolax’s spree began around 9 p.m. on June 17, 2020, when he pulled a gun on a woman working at a Chamblee gas station and demanded money from the register. The woman ran to the back of the store to hide, and Rolax grabbed the cash and left.
Less than a week later, on June 22, Rolax went to another convenience store in the 5200 block of Buford Highway in Doraville, Boston said. He tried the same tactics, but the store clerk refused to give up the cash and Rolax fired two shots at him. Rolax fled, and the clerk was not injured.
Later that day, around 10 p.m., Rolax shot and killed 44-year-old Santiago Lucas-Lopez in the man’s driveway on Pearl Lane Court in Chamblee, the DA said. Investigators never learned why Rolax shot Lucas-Lopez, but Boston said he confessed to all three incidents after he was arrested June 25, 2020.
Rolax was 17 when the incidents took place.
About the Author
Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
