The family of a slain bartender is one step closer to justice as authorities have officially charged her killer with murder.
In the early Friday morning hours, Mariam Abdulrab had returned home after finishing her shift at Revery VR bar in midtown Atlanta. Around 5:00 a.m., her boyfriend, Jerry Antoine, called 911 to report that he’d witnessed Abdulrab being forced into a vehicle by a man wearing a security uniform. As law enforcement frantically investigated the kidnapping, another 911 call came in around 6:00 a.m. reporting gunshots in the area of Lakewood Avenue and Terrace Way. It was not until nearly four hours later when police found Abdulrab’s body facedown on the ground.
Friday afternoon, DeMarcus Brinkley was identified as a person of interest in the case. The man was previously hospitalized for crashing his car while fleeing from police. He was released after being treated and booked into the Fulton County Jail, charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of or attempt of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.
Brinkley previously served seven years in prison for a slew of child rape charges after being accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in 2012 and attempting to rape a 5-year-old girl the following year.
Those closest to Abdulrab praised the woman for her kind heart and loving personality.
“Mariam was a living jewel,” said Grant Henry, owner of Church, an Edgewood bar where Abdulrab sometimes worked.
