Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Four from Cincinnati shot to death in Georgia

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BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Isaac Pearson

        Three Cincinnatians and a former Cincinnatian were shot to death in bed overnight Monday in suburban Atlanta.

        The victims were a 60-year-old grandmother, her 16-year-old daughter and her 3-year-old granddaughter — all spending the Christmas holiday in Georgia — and the grandmother's sister, who moved to Atlanta from Cincinnati six months ago with the man accused of killing them.

        Isaac Pearson, a 65-year-old Fayetteville, Ga., real estate agent and a Cincinnati resident until he moved to the affluent Atlanta suburb, faces charges that include four counts of malice murder in the shootings, Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, said Tuesday.

        The victims were identified by police as Donnie Gee, 60; Nikki Underwood, 16; and Doeyana Burton, 3, all of the 1500 block of Glen Armand Avenue, Northside; and Barbara Clark, 62, of Fayette County.

        Police said Mrs. Gee and her daughter and granddaughter were in Fayette County visiting Mrs. Gee's sister, Ms. Clark, who is retired.

        Ms. Clark, described as Mr. Pearson's girlfriend, had moved with Mr. Pearson to the affluent Deer Glen Forest subdivision near Fayetteville. The 3-year-old is the daughter of Mrs. Gee's other daughter, police said.

        “All four were shot and killed sometime during the night,” said Maj. Jordan, the department's chief investigator. “We got a 911 call from a family member” about 10 a.m. Tuesday. When police arrived at the scene, they found Mr. Pearson in the driveway of the home. He surrendered peacefully.

        A .40-caliber handgun, which investigators believe was used in the fatal shootings, was found inside the residence, Maj. Jordan said. The victims were found in beds in two different rooms.

        All had nightclothes on, indicating they had gone to bed for the night when the shooting occurred, Maj. Jordan said.

        As for a motive for the shooting, Maj. Jordan said, “We think we know what it is, but the D.A.'s office is asking us not to discuss it.”

        “I'm still somewhat in shock,” Samuel Niehaus, Mrs. Gee's next-door neighbor in Northside, said Tuesday shortly after hearing about the shooting deaths. “She was a nice woman. This is sad.”

        Mrs. Gee, who had lived in the neighborhood in a 1¹/₂-story brick home for about 10 years, was a widow, Mr. Niehaus said. She had “a couple of daughters” and a granddaughter — “a cute little girl,” he said.

        “She was a very friendly woman,” said Mr. Niehaus.

        Mr. Pearson, who neighbors said went by “Jerry,” was employed as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in its Jonesboro office.

        Theda Bunker, the managing broker at Mr. Pearson's office, said his colleagues were shocked by the news.

        “He's been with us for six months,” she said. “He always was a very nice, kind, gentle person. We're just in shock.”

        Maj. Jordan said homicides are rare in Fayette County, an area with a low crime rate. Houses in the subdivision where the shooting occurred sell in the $250,000 range, he said.

        “We're always surprised when we have a homicide,” Maj. Jordan said. “We've never had a quadruple homicide in this county.”

        There has been only one other homicide in Fayette County this year, he said.

        Mr. Pearson, who has no previous criminal record, is being held without bond pending an initial appearance in Fayette County Magistrate Court at 2 p.m. today. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

       

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