A security guard arrested last week on a murder charge is accused of stabbing a 90-year-old man more than 50 times at a Buckhead apartment complex that houses the elderly and people with disabilities, according to a warrant obtained Monday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Janet Denise Williams is charged in connection with last month’s killing of Chun Ki Kim, who was found dead on the kitchen floor of his apartment at the Marian Road Highrise complex Sept. 25 after being stabbed in the torso and face. During the investigation, police said Williams, who worked as a guard in the building, stood by and watched investigators at the scene, asked questions and even went inside the apartment of a fifth-floor resident who had a doorbell camera near the victim’s unit.
“While it was still unclear what her intentions initially were, Williams stabbed Mr. Kim to death,” the warrant stated. A police spokesperson said they were unable to confirm a motive.
Kim, who was from South Korea, ran a shoe repair shop in metro Atlanta before his retirement. His caretaker called police around 7:40 a.m. Sept. 25 after finding his body at the complex, located in the 700 block of Sidney Marcus Boulevard near Piedmont Road in the Lindbergh/Morosgo neighborhood.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The 240-unit building, which is owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority, has security cameras, but there were none on the floors with apartments that would have shown someone entering or leaving a unit, the warrant stated. Inside Kim’s apartment, the only missing items were his wallet and an Atlanta Braves cap, police said.
Surveillance footage showed that Kim was last seen getting on the elevator to go to his apartment at noon Sept. 24, the report stated. By 3:15 p.m., Williams, who was wearing a dark-colored security guard uniform, cargo-style pants, Crocs, a face mask, glasses, a lanyard for holding an ID and a red Xfinity grocery bag, got on the south elevator and took it to the fifth floor, according to the warrant.
Six minutes later, Williams got back on the elevator without her glasses or face mask, police said. Her pants leg appeared torn and wet with a dark reddish stain, police said. She examined the back of her left hand, looked down at her pants and appeared stressed, the warrant stated.
“The red Xfinity bag she was carrying also appeared to be fuller as if something had been placed inside during that time,” according to the warrant. “Williams got off the elevator with a noticeable limp.”
Credit: Monica Johnson
Credit: Monica Johnson
The warrant also said Williams used the lobby bathroom and returned to the security desk before making two more trips to the fifth floor. Afterward, police said she was no longer carrying the bag.
Police said in the warrant her appearance after going to the fifth floor was significantly different, and that her wounds showed she had become injured.
“Williams also attempted to gain insight into the investigation by inquiring about evidence the police had collected,” the warrant added.
The next day, investigators at the crime scene noted she was watching them “closely, even asking questions of the police,” the warrant stated.
On Oct. 3, officers executed a search warrant at Williams’ DeKalb County home and took her security guard uniforms, Crocs and the Xfinity bag as evidence. Officers noticed her pants had been sewn back together and Williams said she repaired it over the weekend, but she didn’t remember how they were torn, the warrant stated. Police also noticed a large wound on her right thigh, which Williams said she hurt opening a garage door, according to the warrant.
Monica Johnson also lives on the fifth floor. After the killing, she said Williams was told by the property manager to distribute letters about “the incident on site” and how residents should contact police, management or Crime Stoppers if they had more information. It began by referencing a “noticeable increase in criminal activity” in the area around the complex but did not include specifics about the crime.
“That’s sick,” Johnson said about the letters, which she said Williams placed on residents’ doors.
Credit: Monica Johnson
Credit: Monica Johnson
As family members were crying inside the building after learning about Kim’s death, they said the security guard approached and hugged them.
One family member said Williams told them, “Your father was such a wonderful person and I don’t know why this happened.”
Williams, who is being held without bond, was employed by Protect Security, which is contracted by the property management company Integral Group, according to Atlanta Housing Authority Chief of Staff Kelly English. The AHA owns the complex and contracts with the property management company to run it.
“Upon learning of the incident, Atlanta Housing took immediate steps to coordinate with property management and the Atlanta Police Department to ensure that security measures were enhanced at the property and to provide grief counseling services for residents and staff. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement and property management as they continue their investigation to determine the facts,” an AHA spokesperson said. “The safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority. We are conducting a thorough review of our security protocols and contractors’ hiring practices to ensure that the highest standards of safety and accountability are upheld.”
According to its website, Protect Security works with several properties in Atlanta, including the former Darlington Apartments, now the Lofts at Twenty25 apartments, which were returned to the lender last month through foreclosure, data from real estate research firm Databank shows.
“Our involvement is limited to property management,” said Richard A. White, Integral Group’s senior vice president. “(Williams) is not employed by us, but rather employed by the security company, which assigned her to this site. I do not have information on how long she has been assigned to the property or any other information related to this ongoing investigation.”
Protect Security did not respond to a request for comment.
While in the hallways on the fifth floor, Johnson said Kim would always say hello to her Chihuahua “Coco.” She described him as a sweet, respectful man who attended social functions at the building. He was routinely smiling and was well-known to other residents, who could usually expect Kim to give them candy from his pocket, especially the coffee flavor, Johnson said.
Kim moved to Atlanta in the 1980s and helped to build bridges in the city, his family said. After being handicapped during one incident while helping a coworker in need, he later opened the shoe repair store. His funeral was held Saturday in Duluth.
“Everybody knew Mr. Kim,” Johnson said. “When I found out, I just busted out crying. And the way he got killed, I’m like, ‘No, please.’”
Johnson, who is the president of the building’s resident association, shared that her sister was stabbed to death in New York when she was just 16, and that the recent killing brought back bad memories. She has since installed a Ring doorbell, while other residents remain scared.
“By 7 p.m. this building is a ghost town,” Johnson added. “Everybody is trying to take their pets out before it gets dark because we are scared.
“We don’t trust no security now,” she added. “We don’t know them.”
Williams, of Decatur, sought bond Monday, stating in a court filing that she can only afford to pay a nominal amount. She is due to appear before a judge Nov. 4, court records show.
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