Atlanta cold case solved: Suspect arrested in 1999 murder of mother of 2

More than 25 years after an Atlanta mother of two was found dead in her northwest Atlanta home, police have arrested a suspect in the case.

The Atlanta Police Department announced Monday that investigators arrested Janarra Sherrer, 61, in connection with the 1999 killing of Bridget Lockhart. Police said investigators negotiated Sherrer's self-surrender, and he turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail.

Sherrer is charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to Atlanta police.

The arrest stems from July 31, 1999, when officers responded around 3 a.m. to a report of a person injured at 255 Oakcliff Court NW. When officers arrived, they found Lockhart, 29, dead inside her home, police said.

Atlanta police said the department's Homicide Unit continued investigating the case over the years. After consulting with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, investigators said they established probable cause and obtained arrest warrants for Sherrer.

The arrest comes weeks after Lockhart's family publicly renewed its plea for justice.

In June, Atlanta police said investigators were trying to identify Lockhart's boyfriend at the time of her death. Lt. Christapher Butler, who leads the department's Homicide Unit, said Lockhart had attended a family gathering at a bowling alley on July 30, 1999, before she was found dead the following morning.

At the time, Butler said investigators believed the boyfriend, who had dated Lockhart for about six months, could provide key information in the case.

Lockhart's daughter, Elandra Loyal, who is now a DeKalb County police officer, was 5 years old when her mother was killed.

"At that age, you don't fully understand what has happened. One night she's there, smiling, laughing, and being your mom, and the next morning, she's gone," Loyal said during a press conference in June.

"My mother deserves justice, our family deserves answers, and we are hopeful someone, somewhere can help us learn the truth," she said.

Police have not said whether Sherrer is the boyfriend investigators publicly sought to identify in June or released additional details about what led to the arrest.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, Sherrer is a convicted felon whose criminal history includes offenses involving child abandonment, battery, possession-related offenses, driving under the influence, theft, traffic violations, aggravated sexual battery and criminal trespass.