A mural on the side of the store as pictured from the Atlanta Beltline in November 2014.

Murder Kroger is the name by which the Kroger supermarket at 725 Ponce de Leon Avenue in Poncey-Highland, Atlanta[1] has been known for decades.[2][3][4] The store opened in the 1980s. The store's parking lot has been the scene of two fatal shootings and the discovery of a corpse. In 1991, a 25-year-old woman named Cynthia Prioleau was shot and killed. In 2002, the malodorous corpse of a man was found inside a car. In 2015, an Alabama man, Joshua R. Richey, was shot and killed. The 2015 murder occurred after the store had been renovated and promoted by the company as "Beltline Kroger".

Even though the original store was demolished in 2016 and an entirely new store within a larger mixed-use development called 725 Ponce opened in 2019, "Murder Kroger" continued to be described as a nickname "that just won't die".[2][5]

History

Prior to its construction, the store was originally occupied by land owned by Ford Factory Square.[6] The land was bought in the 1980s for $900,000.[7] The store opened on July 2, 1986.[8][9] From the 1990s,[10] and until at least 2002,[11] the store had drivers license renewal services. After two Publix supermarkets opened nearby, the store was refurbished around 2002.[12]

Murder Kroger as seen from across Ponce de Leon Ave., with the Ford Factory lofts on the right

In January 1990, a bomb-like device was found inside the store. It did not go off.[13] In October 1999, a man robbed the Bank of America inside the store.[14] A song titled "Murder Kroger" by the group Attractive Eighties Women, which incorporates a mention of the nearby Clermont Lounge into the lyrics, is dedicated to shoppers who frequent the store.[15][16] Renovations were scheduled for completion in November 2014 at the market, including a bike/pedestrian ramp to the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail, a bike repair station, new curbs and sidewalks (including paved sidewalk access to Ponce de Leon Avenue), new trees and landscaping, a "water quality pond" in the parking lot to filter runoff, new LED parking lot lighting and repaving the front and back parking lots.[17][18][19][20]

Murders and victims

  • In 1991, a 25-year-old woman, Cynthia Prioleau,[21] was fatally shot in the parking lot.[22] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attributed the nickname "Scary Kroger" to the store because of the event.[22] The murder was unsolved as of 2015.[21]
  • In August 2002, a strong odor raised the suspicions of a woman who reported her findings to police: a dead man was in a car in the parking lot.[23]
  • In 2012, a 20-year-old male junior at Georgia State University, Lee Lowery,[24] was murdered just inside the Ford Factory Lofts, which shares a parking lot with Murder Kroger.[4]
  • On March 10, 2015, Joshua R. Richey,[25] a father of four from Alabama who was working on a construction project was fatally shot in the chest in the parking lot beside the Kroger building.[26][27]

Demolition and new store

On January 15, 2016, Kroger announced that the location would be demolished to make way for 725 Ponce, a mixed-use development incorporating office space, a new Kroger store, and expanded parking.[28] The original Kroger building was demolished shortly after it was closed in October 2016.[2]

Kroger opened a new store on October 16, 2019, at the same location, as part of the 725 Ponce development. Despite hopes from Kroger officials that the nickname "Murder Kroger" will not be applied to the new store, the name has already been adopted to refer to the new structure as well.[2] A headline from 11 Alive called it a former nickname[2] while a headline from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked "'Murder Kroger' no more?".[29] Decaturish, meanwhile, stated that "locals have a name for [the store] that just won't die".[5] Attempts to re-brand the location as "Beltline Kroger" proved unsuccessful, with the nickname instead being ascribed to another Kroger located several miles away, also on the Beltline.

References

  1. ↑ "Store Details". Kroger. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Braverman, Jason (October 14, 2019). "Formerly known as 'Murder' Kroger, brand new '725 Ponce' Kroger set to open this week". WXIA-TV. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019. Company officials are highlighting the many new features of the store, hoping to leave the old nickname in the rear view mirror.
  3. ↑ Wheatley, Thomas (April 6, 2011). "Murder Kroger to get a makeover? Grocer says 'no'". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. ...one of the city's quirky charms that Atlantans seem to both love and hate at the same time.
  4. 1 2 Turner, Kimberly (April 11, 2017). "How 'Murder Kroger' got Its nickname and why it won't change". Curbed Atlanta. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Whisenhunt, Dan (October 15, 2019). "With second reboot, Kroger on Beltline looks to shed 'murder' from store's moniker". Decaturish. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  6. ↑ Walker, Tom (March 24, 1986). "Ford Factory Square work starts this week". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Baum, Dan (January 28, 1986). "A Better Idea for Old Ford Factory". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 26-A. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Mantius, Peter (May 12, 1986). "Citizens Trust plans branches at 2 Kroger stores". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. The grocery stores are scheduled to open at 699 Ponce De Leon Avenue on July 2 and at 2865 Stewart Avenue next January
  9. ↑ Hall, Beverly Y. (March 16, 1986). "Kroger on the move in Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 2M. Retrieved January 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Kroger plans to open a 45,000-square-foot store at Ponce de Leon Place and Ponce de Leon Avenue this year, three blocks from that Big Star.
  10. ↑ Bessonette, Colin (January 1, 1997). "Q & A on the News - Kroger Stores Driver's License". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "2002 Ultimate Guide: South Metro: Your Government". Atlanta-Journal Constitution. July 25, 2002. p. GD24 – via NewsBank. Renewals and handicap parking permits: Kroger store, 725 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta 30308(subscription required)
  12. ↑ Degross, Renee (May 12, 2002). "GROCERY GLADIATORS: Kroger, Publix raise the stakes - No. 1, No. 2 go all out as new rivals invade". Atlanta-Journal Constitution. p. Q1 – via NewsBank. When Publix tore down an old A&P and built a new store on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta last year, it also decided to open a store less than two miles away at North Avenue and Piedmont Road. The move put Publix on both sides of an older Kroger on Ponce. Kroger responded by renovating that store.(subscription required)
  13. ↑ Epstein, Gail (January 5, 1990). "Agents investigating use of late Columbus lawyer's name in bomb letters (2/2)". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Law and Order." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. October 9, 1999. p. F6.
  15. ↑ "Attractive Eighties Women - Atlanta's Biggest Boobs". Atlanta-Journal-Constitution. January 10, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Kroger on Ponce has notorious nickname". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 5, 2016. p. B6. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Kelley, Collin (August 13, 2014). "'BeltLine Kroger' to get ramp connection to Eastside Trail". Atlanta INtown Paper. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ Green, Josh (August 13, 2014). "Behold, the new Look of 'Beltline Kroger'!". Curbed Atlanta. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ "'Beltline Kroger'? Atlanta grocery store could get new nickname". 11 Alive (NBC Atlanta). August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Kroger store tries to shake off 'murder' moniker". Marketplace. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  21. 1 2 "Murder at Atlanta Kroger highlights perception, reality of crime". WXIA 11Alive. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "CityLights." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 24, 2000. JD; 1.
  23. ↑ "Man found dead in store parking lot". Atlanta-Journal Constitution. August 4, 2002. p. F8. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Taft, Isabelle (December 13, 2012). "Lee Lowery remembered for bright smile, big heart". The Southerner Online. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Officials ID construction worker killed confronting man in Kroger lot". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 10, 2015.
  26. ↑ Blau, Max (March 10, 2015). "Man killed outside Kroger on Ponce (Update)". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Police investigate shooting at Northeast Atlanta Kroger". Atlanta, GA: WSB-TV. March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  28. ↑ Sirb, Julia (January 15, 2016). "'Murder Kroger' To Morph Into Mixed-Use Project 725 Ponce (Renderings)". What Now Atlanta. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  29. ↑ Habersham, Raisa (October 15, 2019). "'Murder Kroger' no more? New site opens near Atlanta Beltline". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 16, 2019.

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