It was Janet Williams’ job to provide security at Marian Road Highrise, a Buckhead apartment complex that serves senior adults and those with disabilities. She often went beyond her official role, smiling at those entering the building, joining in social events and sometimes visiting with residents in their homes.
She was friendly, treated “everyone like buddies” and was someone “we trusted to protect and take care of us,” said resident Sherri Cash.
Williams’ arrest following the stabbing death of Marian Road resident Chun-ki Kim, 90, has left the community stunned. She is charged with murder.
“You can’t trust nobody,” said resident Melanie Goins, who recalls seeing Williams socializing in the complex. She now keeps a chair pinned against her door at night.
“If security comes knocking on my door, I’m gonna talk to them through the door,” Goins said. “And I’m going to be armed.”
Police said Williams, 65, entered Kim’s fifth-floor apartment and stabbed him more than 50 times. A retired shoe repairman, his remains were discovered the morning of Sept. 25 when his caretaker arrived for the day. Williams was arrested Oct. 10.
In the days following Kim’s death, residents and family members said, Williams stayed near the crime scene, spoke to police detectives, distributed letters about the killing and even hugged the victim’s family members. Cash now calls Williams “a traitor” and advises her neighbors to keep their doors locked.
Kim’s wallet and Atlanta Braves baseball cap were the only things missing from his apartment, Williams’ arrest warrant said. Authorities have not publicly discussed a possible motive but have told residents they believe Williams acted alone.
The building is owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority, which hired Integral Property Management to run it. A housing authority spokesperson said the agency “is taking steps to review security protocols at all AH-assisted properties.”
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
Security measures
A check of public records found a handful of incidents involving Williams. She pleaded guilty to felony theft by shoplifting in July 1990, and three misdemeanor counts of violation of Georgia’ Employment SEC law in January 1995. In March 1998, she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of simple battery, served two days in custody, and was given 12 months probation.
Her attorney, Justin Showalter, did not respond to a request for comment.
Williams worked for Protect Security, which hired her after being contracted by Integral.
Williams completed a background check and reference verification by Merchants Credit Bureau in September 2022 before receiving her first assignment at East Lake Highrise in East Atlanta, according to Protect Security spokesperson Michael Dimock. She was later transferred to Marian Road in December 2023, following the closure of East Lake due to renovations.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
While Protect Security is responsible for providing trained security personnel, Dimock said Integral remains responsible for the security infrastructure of the building, including CCTV cameras and door access.
“While unfortunate situations can occur, Protect Security remains unwavering in upholding the highest standards in our hiring processes to safeguard the communities we serve,” he said in a statement.
Protect Security President George C. Jones said the company is cooperating with police.
”Everything is alleged so far,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a brief call. “Never in my 17 years of business has something like this happened.”
In a statement, Integral Senior Vice President Richard A. White said Integral does not oversee Protect Security’s hiring decisions or day-to-day staffing at the 240-unit property. He added that Integral did not perform additional background checks on security guards and was not entitled to receive them.
”Our oversight is well-defined: pursuant to the guidance provided by Atlanta Housing, we hold Protect Security accountable to the contract, but the operational control, training, and management of security staff are entirely on them,” he wrote.
An Atlanta Housing spokesperson said it was conducting a “thorough review of our security protocols and contractors’ hiring practices.”
Monica Johnson, 58, who serves as resident board president, said she has called for heightened security measures such as more cameras for years without success. Three residents, who are Korean, said the language barrier largely prevents them from effectively raising security concerns with management.
“I blame it all on management,” Johnson said, referring to Kim’s death.
Security cameras should have been Atlanta Housing’s responsibility, said White, the property management company executive.
White offered condolences and said the company is cooperating with investigators.
”We’re committed to doing everything within our role to ensure a safe and secure environment,” White wrote.
Before and after the killing
Three hours after Kim was last seen at noon Sept. 24, surveillance footage showed that Williams took the elevator up to the fifth floor, where Kim lived. She returned to the elevator six minutes later with a limp and reddish stain on her pants, according to the arrest warrant.
The next morning, Kim’s caretaker, Cecelia Nam, entered the apartment at 7:30 a.m. The door was open.
“Father, father?” she called out in Korean, using a term of endearment and respect, as she turned on the lights.
She found Kim, who was stabbed in the face and torso, covered in blood. She immediately notified two security guards including Williams, who embraced her as she cried.
Nam recalled the encounter in an interview with the AJC, conducted in Korean.
“That woman, the one who supposedly did this, followed me upstairs (to Kim’s room) and hugged and comforted me as I was screaming and crying,” Nam said. “It’s awful to even think about.”
A few days later, one of Kim’s daughters said, Williams hugged Kim’s grieving children and told them how great their father was. Due to the nature of her father’s killing and the ongoing investigation, the daughter asked not to be identified.
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
As investigators worked the crime scene after the killing, they noted that Williams was watching them attentively and asked questions about evidence “to gain insight into the investigation,” the warrant stated.
The property manager later told Williams to distribute letters about the incident that instructed residents to contact police, management or Crime Stoppers if they had information, Johnson said. The letters, which the security guard placed on residents’ doors, described a “noticeable increase in criminal activity” in the area around the complex but did not include specifics about the fatal stabbing. On Oct. 3, police searched Williams’ DeKalb County home and took several items as evidence that she was seen wearing on Sept. 24.
Remembering Kim
Kim was born in Chungcheong-do, about 50 miles south of Seoul, South Korea, to a humble upbringing. After working in Seoul for a shoe manufacturer, he immigrated to Atlanta in the early 1980s. Kim’s daughter described him as a nice and quiet man who loved the outdoors.
“He’s a very warm and loving person and he did not break any bridges with anybody,” his daughter said. “It just breaks my heart.”
Credit: Monica Johnson
Credit: Monica Johnson
Kim began his life in America working in bridge construction, but after injuring a leg in a fall, he opened a shoe repair shop on Clairmont Road.
Byeong-yeol Park, 82, spent the last decade living in the same building as Kim, whom he called his best friend.
“When I first met him, I thought he would have a strong personality, but as I got to know him, he didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” Park said in Korean. “He never caused anyone harm and he always helped others.”
Kim, who lived in the building for about two decades, was known for his generosity — giving away food, driving other residents who did not have cars and saving up money from his Social Security benefits to give to his three children.
Kim’s next door neighbor, Larry Williams, said that after he lent Kim an air fryer and stationary bicycle, Kim returned the favor by knocking on his door and giving him some food.
Kim was also an active member of metro Atlanta’s Korean American community. In 2014, to celebrate his 80th birthday, he donated $1,000 to the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta’s fund to build a community center, according to Korean news outlet Joongang Ilbo. He also received the Korean American Association President’s Award for his volunteer work at the Atlanta Korean American Senior Association the same year.
Since the killing, the property management company is adding new security measures aimed to prevent unwanted guests from entering the building. Officials said they are considering adding cameras to the hallways and would reinstate requirements for visitors to show ID and sign in and out of the building.
But residents remain uneasy.
“You don’t know who to trust, or who to talk to,” said Donald Beck, who has lived in the building for more than 17 years. “How do you protect (people) from entering inside when it was somebody who worked for the security company that was hired to protect this place?”
— Staff writers Matt Reynolds and Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
About the Authors
