In Austell, Georgia, 22 year old roller skating influencer Beauty Couch vanished just as her life seemed to be falling into place. When her family realized something was terribly wrong, investigators were already following a disturbing trail that began less than a mile from her home. What they uncovered would raise haunting questions about Beauty’s final hours and the person she may have trusted most.
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Research & Writing:
Sherri Smith
Sources:
Opening Statements — Prosecution (ADA Stephanie Green) and Defense (Bryan Lumpkin), via Law and Crime Network
Testimony of Tracey Harris — First responding officer, Austell Police Department, via Law and Crime Network
Testimony of Deanna Thurman — Victim's mother, via Law and Crime Network
Testimony of Dr. Zoha Ashraf — Medical Examiner, Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office, via Law and Crime Network
Testimony of Detective Chance Cloud — St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana, via Law and Crime Network
Closing Arguments — Prosecution and Defense, via Law and Crime Network
Verdict and Sentencing — Judge Kimberly A. Childs presiding, via Law and Crime Network11Alive News (WSB-TV affiliate) — Bobeth Yates, coverage of candlelight vigil including interviews with Kimberly Couch and Layla Brown, August 2023
WSB-TV Channel 2 — Michele Newell, Cobb County Bureau, coverage of verdict and sentencing, May 2026
Court TV — "Boyfriend sentenced for murder of roller-skating influencer found burned," May 23, 2026
FOX 5 Atlanta — "Cobb man gets life without parole for influencer girlfriend's murder," May 24, 2026
Marietta Daily Journal — "Beauty Couch killer sentenced to life without parole," May 23, 2026Bold Journey Magazine — Interview with Beauty Katera Couch (undated, prior to August 2023)
Beauty Couch obituary — Davis-Struempf Chapel, funeral September 2, 2023
Instagram account @BeautyKatera
Teen Vogue — "For Young Black Women, Roller-Skating Is Survival, Resistance, and Joy," 2020
