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Genai Coleman's murder remains one of the most spine-chilling instances of random violence in the history of Gwinnett County, Georgia. Coleman was simply waiting to pick her daughter up from school in her car, much like a lot of people do, but she was shot to death in a parking lot near Gwinnett Place Mall, Georgia. What followed was a series of twists that left investigators baffled.
This case is the subject of The Real Murders of Atlanta season 3, episode 5, which is set to air on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 9.00 PM EST on Oxygen. The synopsis for the episode reads:
"After a naval reservist is gunned down in her car outside an Atlanta mall, detectives pour over video footage, phone records and forensic evidence, only to discover that the DNA sample found at the crime scene creates an unforeseen twist in the case."
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Ahead of this episode's premiere, let us go over the circumstances surrounding Genai Coleman's death and the assailant behind the crime.
Who was Genai Coleman and what happened to her?
Genai Coleman was born on October 2, 1967, in the city of Elkhart in Elkhart County, Indiana. A renowned member of her community, Coleman was an elementary school teacher in DeKalb County, Georgia, and the mother of three adoptive children. She was also about to become a grandmother.
On July 18, 2008, Coleman had gone to pick up her daughter. She was waiting in her car at around 9 pm in a parking lot near Gwinnett Place Mall, Georgia. However, during this seemingly random wait, a man walked out of a gas station across the street and shot her in her car. He followed to pull her body out of the car and drove away in the car.
A bus driver was witness to this crime and revealed some key details to the authorities who came and found Genai fighting for her life. It was seemingly a crime committed to steal the car and whoever shot Genai Coleman had no other interest in the murder.
Brittany Barrington, the crime scene supervisor for this case, previously explained to Fox:
"This is a crime of opportunity...She was doing what people do every day, and I still do it sometimes – everybody does. You’re just sitting in your car on your phone, not paying attention, just in a random parking lot. He took advantage of that. It’s truly a crime of opportunity. He needed her car, and he was going to take it."
The investigation was slow at first due to no physical evidence and the car missing, but authorities soon had a breakthrough when they spotted the stolen car in a parking space of a diner in Forest Park, Georgia. Moreover, forensic analysts also found a cigarette butt in the car, which possibly contained the DNA of the perp, and also lifted fingerprints from the car.
Who killed Genai Coleman?
On testing the DNA, the authorities singled out Donald Eugene Smith, who was previously arrested for a weapon possession charge. When he was brought in, Donald remained adamant that he was not involved in the crime. When the police showed surveillance footage to him, he revealed that the man in the footage was his twin, Ronald Smith.
Upon further investigation, the police realized that he was indeed telling the truth and that it was Ronald Smith who had killed Genai Coleman. He was arrested and ultimately sentenced to life in prison for the murder, 20 years for carjacking, and 5 years for firearm possession.
The Real Murders of Atlanta season 3, episode 5 will cover this case in more detail.
