ATLANTA — UPDATE: The court proceeding has concluded. A full report will be coming later.
Original story below
The man accused of stabbing a Buckhead grandmother to death last year will be back in court Thursday morning for what’s listed as a final plea hearing.
A not guilty plea was entered back in April for 23-year-old Antonio Brown in the December, 2022 killing of Eleanor “Ellen” J. Bowles. The 77-year-old was found stabbed to death inside her Buckhead home in the gated community of Paces West.
Atlanta Police Department investigators previously said the motive appeared to have been a crime interrupted, where Bowles encountered the suspect attempting to steal her Lexus SUV in broad daylight.
RELATED: Court enters not guilty plea for Buckhead stabbing suspect
Brown faces charges including four counts of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, burglary in the first degree, abuse of an elder person, theft by taking, robbery, and the possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
The organizer of an online fundraiser said the “kind, precious, funny, loving mother, grandmother, and friend” was preparing for the Christmas holiday before her life was taken. Additionally, police said her son, who was coming home for the holiday to visit with Bowles, found her.
“My mom was the North Star in my world,” Michael Bowles, Eleanor’s son said in a statement to 11Alive. “She was a beautiful soul, and she taught me how to approach the world with empathy.”
Michael said that finding his mom, an animal lover who was active with the Atlanta Humane Society, the way he did is something that will never leave him. He told 11Alive that what happened to her was “her worst nightmare.”
The final plea hearing is one of the last steps before a trial would begin.
Credit: Provided
Eleanor J. Bowles
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Antonio Brown
