76-year-old woman killed in apparent home invasion
The 76-year-old woman killed in an apparent home invasion was identified Wednesday as Alma B. Ercolano, but police said the cause of death has not been determined.
Police also have not released a possible motive.
About 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Gwinnett County man arrived home to find his housemate, Ercolano, dead and his girlfriend badly beaten, police say. All three lived in a house in the 1500 block of High Sierra Drive near Lawrenceville.
Christopher A. Gheesling, 29, discovered the rear door to the house had been forced open, police said. Once inside, he found Ercolano dead and his girlfriend, Cheryl Sullivan, 30, suffering from "blunt force trauma about her body," police said. She was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
It was not immediately known whether Ercolano was a relative or tenant.
Police said homicide investigators "are diligently working on several leads."
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
