An arrest has been made in the 1999 killing of an Atlanta mother whose two children were inside the home when she died. Atlanta Police announced that Janarra Sherrer surrendered at the Fulton County Jail on July 13, 2026, after investigators secured warrants charging him with murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police identified Sherrer as the former boyfriend of Bridgett Lockhart, who was 29 when she was killed.
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The arrest followed a renewed effort led in part by Bridgett’s daughter, Elandra Loyal, who was only 5 when her mother died. Now a DeKalb County police officer, Elandra contacted the Atlanta Police in April 2026 to seek information about the investigation, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She stood beside detectives at a June 3 news conference and asked anyone who knew something about her mother’s death to speak up.
Elandra also told WSB-TV that losing her mother so young left her unable to understand why she had suddenly disappeared from her life. As an adult, that confusion became a demand for answers. Her own work in law enforcement made that absence harder to ignore. “It’s a different feeling when you can help others, but when you can’t get the answers for yourself, it really hurts,” she said.
Bridgett was the mother of two children, ages 11 and 5. Elandra said that she remembers little about her mother and has relied on relatives to fill in the gaps. One comment has stayed consistent. Family members regularly tell her how much she looks like Bridgett.
The Night Bridgett Lockhart Was Killed
Bridgett spent July 30, 1999, at a bowling alley with her children and relatives celebrating a family member’s birthday. Investigators allege Sherrer argued with Bridgett at the bowling alley and that the dispute continued after the family returned to her home on Oakcliff Court NW. Bridgett’s 11-year-old son took his younger sister into their bedrooms while the adults continued arguing, the warrant states.
Atlanta Police said officers were called to 255 Oakcliff Court NW at approximately 3 a.m. on July 31, 1999, and found the 29-year-old mother dead inside the residence.
Bridgett’s son, Cordavious Lockhart, later told Atlanta News First that he remembered Sherrer returning home with the family that night. He also remembered waking up and finding his mother. “Shouldn’t nobody that young have to make a discovery like that,” Cordavious told the outlet.
The arrest warrant further states that investigators recovered a .25-caliber bullet from Bridgett’s body. Detectives also cited witnesses who associated Sherrer with a .25-caliber handgun and placed his truck outside Bridgett’s home that night. Police interviewed Sherrer during the original investigation, but no arrest was made.
Evidence Sat Unresolved As The Case Went Cold
The renewed investigation exposed problems that extended well beyond a lack of witnesses. Atlanta Police Lt. Christapher Butler told reporters that detectives reviewing the case could not fully account for what caused it to stall in 1999. One issue involved Bridgett’s autopsy. The arrest warrant states that the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted the examination, but the results were never communicated to Atlanta Police homicide detectives. Butler told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that records were still handled on paper at the time and said there appeared to have been a communication problem.
Another piece of evidence remained unsubmitted for almost 27 years. WSB-TV reported that a sexual-assault evidence kit collected in 1999 was not sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation until June 2026. Investigators said they were still examining why that did not happen earlier. The collection of the kit does not, by itself, establish that Bridgett was sexually assaulted, and authorities have not publicly made that claim.
Detectives were also working with an incomplete identification of the man they believed had been dating Bridgett. At the June news conference, police said they were searching for a mechanic associated with Atlanta’s Bankhead area whose first name they believed was “Janarus” or “Janaris.” They described him as Bridgett’s boyfriend of approximately six months.
The public appeal produced new information. Investigators told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that tips helped them identify Sherrer and revisit witness accounts and evidence preserved from the original case. Detective Summer Benton later said that Elandra broke down crying when investigators called to tell her an arrest had been made.
Police Say Sherrer Changed His Account
Investigators questioned Sherrer again in 2026. According to the arrest warrant, Sherrer initially said he wanted to clear his name and denied being at Bridgett’s home when she was killed. Detectives confronted him with witness accounts placing him there, and police say his account changed. The warrant states that Sherrer ultimately acknowledged being inside the home and arguing with Bridgett that night.
Authorities also allege Sherrer was the only person witnesses saw entering Bridgett’s home other than her children. Atlanta Police said homicide detectives consulted with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office before determining there was probable cause to obtain warrants for murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sherrer’s date of birth, listed by Atlanta Police as June 1965, made him 61 when he surrendered.
An arrest cannot restore what Bridgett’s children lost in 1999. Elandra told WSB Radio that much of what she knows about her mother comes from other people’s memories because she was so young when Bridgett died. Her decision to become a police officer put her in a profession built around finding answers for other families while her own waited for the same.
“My mother deserves justice,” Elandra told the outlet during the June appeal. “Our family deserves answers.”
Anyone with additional information about Bridgett Lockhart’s murder can contact the Atlanta Police Department at 404-614-6544.
Please share Bridgett Lockhart’s story as her family prepares for a criminal case they have waited more than two decades to see. She is our sister, and her life matters.
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