The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Suspect in bar shooting had criminal past
DNA database linked felon to Nov. 19 death at Barcelona Wine Bar.
The man accused of killing a popular restaurant manager during a robbery only has himself to blame for his recent arrest, along with old-fashioned police work.
Samuel Cornelius Ott has previously served twice in state prison and is still on parole, so the 21-year-old’s DNA was already in a criminal database, according to Atlanta police. Blood found near the scene of the Nov. 19 shooting at the Barcelona Wine Bar matched Ott’s DNA, police said.
“It’s only a matter of time before the evidence will lead us to the others who carried out this cold-blooded and cowardly act,” Atlanta police Chief Erika Shields said.
Ott is the first suspect arrested in the death of 29-year-old Chelsea Beller, but police believe two others were also involved. They have not publicly identified the other two suspects, but CrimeStoppers is offering a $38,000 reward for information leading to the arrests and convictions of the others involved.
Investigators have offered no motive for Beller’s shooting. She had opened the restaurant’s safe for the robbers moments before she was shot as other employees listened helplessly. Nicknamed “Rainbow Brite” for her ever-changing hair color, Beller’s friends described her as a free-spirited, spunky woman with a kind heart and talent for running the busy restaurant.
“She lived by her heart, and loved everyone whole-heartedly,” said Lauda Rodriguez Lacayo, a longtime friend.
Ott, who lives in Jonesboro, has been jailed twice previously, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
He was sent to prison from July 2014 to October 2014 following a Rockdale County conviction for theft by receiving stolen property and eluding police, records showed. In June 2015, Ott spent eight days in the Fulton County jail for violating terms of his probation, jail records showed.
He was in prison again from December 2015 to October 2016 following a conviction for three counts of entering a vehicle in Clayton County, according to DOC records. Since his release from Hancock State Prison on Oct. 31, 2016, Ott has been on parole, DOC records showed.
The Atlanta police fugitive unit arrested Ott on Saturday, and on Sunday he made his first court appearance. Ott was denied bond and will remain in jail until his next court appearance, scheduled for Jan. 8 at 9:30 a.m.