A loving father and a budding family. A dedicated employee of the Department of Homeland Security. A mother with a preteen child.
The men were killed last week after a killing spree across several Atlanta suburbs that left three families devastated.
Lauren Bullis, 40, Prianna Weathers, 31, and Tony Matthews, 48, were shot within hours of each other on April 13 as they were out doing daily chores.
Based on surveillance footage and license plate readers, authorities said they believe one man, Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, of Atlanta, shot all three victims, an incident highlighted by the Trump administration.
Bliss and Weathers died immediately from their injuries. Matthews was hospitalized for six days until his death on April 19.
One of four brothers, Matthews was part of a large family and was starting a family of his own.
His sister-in-law Miranda Matthews told CNN that he and his wife had a daughter last year and he recently brought three stepchildren from Uganda, where their mother is also from. She said he was working on securing visas for his children but the process was now on hold as his family was devastated by the loss of their loving father and husband.
Tony Matthews was the kind of man who would help anyone, she said. His brother, Michael Matthews, said the birth of his daughter, who will turn one in June, was an extremely special moment for him.
“He’s happy. It makes him a better person, and he’s already a great person,” he said.
Police previously described Tony Matthews as homeless, but his family said he had no place to stay and clarified that he had no identification when he was found shot to death outside a Brookhaven grocery store in the early hours of April 13.
Miranda Matthews said his daughter was there to say goodbye as his condition worsened, with the family recording the moment so she could remember her doting father. The family is currently raising money to help pay for his funeral.
Bliss brings joy and kindness to her neighborhood
According to her obituary, Bliss was known as a dedicated employee and “consummate professional” who was “committed to public service” while working at the Department of Homeland Security.
But she was also an adventurous explorer who traveled the world, bringing joy to friends near and far.
“You couldn’t meet her and not become her friend,” Department of Homeland Security auditor Ashley Toillion told The Associated Press. “She was the kindest, sweetest, most inspiring person I have ever met.”
Lauren Bullis pictured in 2025 at the Green Meadows Preserve in Cobb County, Georgia – Sunisa Kim Kipe, The Associated Press
Bliss was a beloved fixture in her neighborhood—she could often be seen running, walking her French bulldog Sancho, or tending to the flowers she planted in her yard.
Her obituary stated that she “embraced the sport of running with passion and ran 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons across the country.” “When visiting loved ones, Lauren always asks for a spare key so she can travel a few miles without waking her owners.”
Just last month, Bliss completed her first marathon in Atlanta.
“She was very athletic,” neighbor Portia Powell said. “If she wasn’t walking her dog, she was running.”
In recent years, Powell and Bliss have developed a close friendship, bonding over their shared love of gardening.
“She always said, ‘Hey, Miss Portia, how are you?’ … very outgoing and friendly,” Powell said.
Powell said Bliss was shot while walking his dog in Panthersville. Her death “had a huge impact on the community” in Panthersville, an unincorporated community about 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. “I think it will make us more aware of what’s going on in the neighborhood and look out for each other.”
Crime scene tape marks the area near where Lauren Bliss was killed. – RJ Rico/AP
The agency said the tragedy has devastated colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, where Bliss is an auditor and team leader.
“Lauren approaches her work with integrity, thoughtfulness and a commitment to excellence that strengthens our organization and the communities we serve,” DHS said. “She brings warmth, kindness and genuine care to her colleagues every day.”
Bliss’s husband, stepdaughter, parents and siblings are now grieving, having been stripped of their generous, hilarious, globe-trotting beacon.
“She put the needs of others before her own, caring for sick friends and those who simply overindulged many times over the years,” Bliss’s obituary read. “She was great fun, a wonderful host, dignified, humble, and just plain funny.”
“Lauren enjoys traveling alone or with others and has visited many far-flung places including Egypt, Peru, Greece, Spain, Ireland and France,” it reads. “She is always planning her next trip.”
Family of another victim mourns silently in North Carolina
As a series of attacks rattles her community in Georgia, Prianna Weathers’ mother mourns privately at her home in North Carolina.
“This was a senseless death,” she told CNN. “All these people he killed… these were innocent people. He had no reason to hurt them. They didn’t do anything to him.”
Weathers was killed in Decatur, not far from where she was born 31 years ago, her mother said.
Weathers asked not to be named to protect the privacy of her 12-year-old son. She suddenly discovered that her son had been raised by herself and that he had to grow up without his mother.
There is no clear relationship between the victim and the suspect
It is unclear why the three men were attacked and investigators are looking into whether the attacks were random.
Bliss’s employment with the Department of Homeland Security and Adon Abel’s naturalized citizenship have raised questions and prompted criticism from the agency of crimes committed after the suspect became a U.S. citizen.
Don Plummer of the Georgia Board of Public Defenders declined to disclose details of the suspect’s case or background.
“We understand the intense public interest in this case, but Mr. Abel has the same constitutional rights as any other defendant, and our job is to protect those rights in the courtroom,” he told CNN.
“This is a tragic and serious case. Defending constitutional rights does not dilute that. In fact, when emotions are high and the charges are most serious, the rule of law is most important.”
The Department of Homeland Security said Aton Abel is a British citizen who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2022.
The naturalization process typically takes years, and it’s unclear whether much of Aton Abel’s processing took place during the first Trump administration or the Biden administration. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to CNN’s questions about the suspect’s naturalization timeline.
Olaolukitan Adon Abel of Atlanta faces charges including aggravated assault and two counts of malice murder. -DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
The Department of Homeland Security blamed the previous administration for Aton Abel’s naturalization, describing the suspect as a “monster” in a Facebook post.
The agency also said Aton Abel was convicted of multiple crimes, including sexual assault and assault with a deadly weapon. One defendant, Adon Olaolukitan, pleaded guilty to four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery in a 2025 incident in Georgia and was sentenced to 48 months of probation, court records show.
Another court document shows that a defendant named “Olaolukitan Adonabel” pleaded guilty to felony assault on a police officer or firefighter with a “deadly weapon other than a firearm” in California in 2024. The record states that the suspect’s name may also appear as Olaolukitan Adon Abel or Adon Olaolukitan.
Records show a number of other charges, but those cases were dismissed.
The Public Defender Commission harshly condemned DHS’s description of the suspect.
“It is irresponsible and disturbing for a public official to label a defendant a ‘monster’ before trial,” Plummer said. “This language may be politically convenient, but it erodes the fundamental rights to due process and a fair trial.”
Adon Abel was arrested on April 13 at a traffic stop in Troup County, Georgia, which borders Alabama. He now faces multiple charges, including two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, police said. After Matthews’ death, police said they were seeking to add another charge of malice murder.
CNN’s Chris Boyette reported from Decatur, Georgia; Holly Yan reported and wrote in Atlanta; Taylor Romine reported and wrote in Los Angeles. CNN’s Sneha Dhandapani, Ryan Young, Jason Morris and Lindsey Knight contributed to this report.
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