On Aug. 19 around 11 a.m., a 33-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 41-year-old homeless woman who was living in an encampment near I-285 and the Chamblee Dunwoody Road exit. Four hours later, he died a very public death in that same area.
News helicopters buzzed the area, off-ramp traffic slowed to a crawl as police officers canvassed the area, and passers-by reported seeing a body lying on the side of the access road, covered with a white sheet.
Dunwoody Police confirmed the identity of the dead man as John Eric Mitchell, 33, on Aug. 23.
At the time of his death, social media lit up with speculation that it was the young man who, along with another woman identified only as “California,” had been a fixture at that intersection for years.
Unlike others who frequent Atlanta’s roadways and intersections, the couple did not carry signs or outwardly make requests of the hundreds of cars that passed by every day. But they, according to Dunwoody residents, were fed and clothed frequently.
People said they often stopped by to give them food, clothing and drinks on a regular basis. Some remarked they stocked their cars with provisions in case the two were spotted on their usual perch. Many called the couple’s reaction to their gifts as polite and thankful.
But Mitchell also had a complicated past that was rarely discussed in public forums, including a criminal history of petty offenses including battery, theft, destruction of property, obstruction of justice, and elder exploitation. The outcome of these cases is unknown, but court records indicate that Mitchell was arrested on several occasions for violating the terms of his probation.
One of those incidents was reported hours before Mitchell died.
Dunwoody Police Officer J. Sanchez said that he met the alleged victim, Sara Acuna, on Aug. 19 at a gas station located at 4400 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Acuna told him that Mitchell attacked her minutes before while she was trying to clean up an encampment where several homeless people lived, including Acuna.
Sanchez’ incident report said “Mitchell asked [the victim] for her lighter, and after she handed it over to him, he forcibly grabbed her and attempted to force her to the ground.”
Acuna said she managed to run away from Mitchell, but he caught her and “delivered multiple closed fist strikes, hitting the victim on the head, and leaving a small reddish abrasion around an inch in length on the right side of her temple/eye area.”
Her assailant ran away after Acuna said she was calling the police, the report said. The man was described as wearing cut-off camouflage-colored shorts, a white shirt and no shoes.
“As of this writing, arrest warrants are pending for Mr. Mitchell for OCGA 16-5-23.1 – battery,” the report said.
The charge, a misdemeanor, is levied when “a person commits the offense of battery when he or she intentionally causes substantial physical harm or visible bodily harm to another,” according to Georgia Code of Law.
Around 4;20 p.m., the same officer was called to an embankment off I-285 East at the Chamblee Dunwoody exit after a 911 call for a welfare check on a man found lying face-up on the ground.
Sanchez said when he approached the victim, he recognized Mitchell after he saw a large black swastika tattoo on the man’s left shoulder.
“Now close enough to Mr. Mitchell’s body, I found him lying on his back with his right arm bent at the elbow, his forearm in the air, and his wrist bent across his upper chest/neck area,” Sanchez, in his report,said. “Mr. Mitchell was not alert, conscious, or breathing when found.”
Another officer noticed that the body was stiff, “meaning that rigor mortis potentially had set in,” the report said.
Because of the previous assault report, Sanchez erected crime scene tape around the area. Dunwoody Police later issued a statement, however, that foul play was not suspected in Mitchell’s death.
Sanchez’ report did not indicate any physical trauma to Mitchell’s body, nor noted any signs of drug paraphernalia, weapons or other suspicious objects nearby.
Mitchell’s body was turned over to the DeKalb Medical Examiner’s office, who had a representative on the scene.
Rough Draft has contacted the medical examiner’s office for information about Mitchell’s cause of death and will update the story as more information is disclosed.
