Murder Kroger

Murder Kroger is the long-standing nickname for a Kroger supermarket in Atlanta's Poncey–Highland neighborhood. The store sits at 725 Ponce de Leon Avenue, beside the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail and within the mixed-use 725 Ponce development. Although the name is unofficial and has never been the store's formal corporate identity, it became deeply embedded in local usage after a series of violent or disturbing incidents associated with the site. The supermarket opened on July 2, 1986, on land previously associated with Ford Factory Square. The property had been acquired during the 1980s for approximately $900,000. During its earlier years the location offered services beyond ordinary grocery retail, including driver's-license renewal services that operated from the 1990s through at least 2002. The store was refurbished around 2002, in part as competition increased following the opening of two nearby Publix supermarkets. The nickname is generally traced to a fatal shooting in 1991, when 25-year-old Cynthia Prioleau was shot and killed in the parking lot. Contemporary reporting also used the alternative label "Scary Kroger." In August 2002, a man's corpse was discovered inside a car in the parking lot after a strong odor prompted a report to police. On March 10, 2015, Joshua R. Richey, an Alabama construction worker and father of four, was fatally shot in the chest near the Kroger building. The 2015 killing occurred after the location had undergone renovation and while Kroger was promoting it under the more positive name "Beltline Kroger." A separate 2012 killing involving Georgia State University student Lee Lowery occurred inside the nearby Ford Factory Lofts, which shared a parking area with the supermarket, and was often discussed in connection with the broader site. The location also experienced other incidents that contributed to its public reputation. In January 1990, a bomb-like device was found inside the store but did not detonate. In October 1999, a man robbed the Bank of America branch located inside the supermarket. Local culture further reinforced the nickname: the musical group Attractive Eighties Women recorded a song titled "Murder Kroger," dedicated to people who frequented the store and referring to the nearby Clermont Lounge. Kroger invested in improvements during the 2010s, including pedestrian and bicycle access toward the BeltLine, a bike-repair station, upgraded curbs and sidewalks, landscaping, a stormwater-filtering pond, LED parking-lot lighting, and resurfacing. These improvements were intended to modernize the site and strengthen its connection with the surrounding urban trail and neighborhood. On January 15, 2016, Kroger announced that the original building would be demolished to make way for 725 Ponce, a larger development containing offices, expanded parking, and a replacement grocery store. The original supermarket closed on October 28, 2016, and was subsequently demolished. A new Kroger opened on October 16, 2019, within the completed 725 Ponce development. Kroger and local observers hoped that the replacement would shed the old nickname, and the company promoted the site as "Beltline Kroger." That rebranding did not take hold locally. Residents and media continued to apply "Murder Kroger" to the new store, making the name an example of a place-based nickname that survived the demolition of the building that originally acquired it. The subject is therefore best understood not as an independent grocery company or product brand, but as a culturally recognized nickname for a specific Kroger retail location. Its identity comes from Atlanta local history, neighborhood memory, media coverage, and the contrast between successive corporate attempts to present the store as a modern BeltLine-oriented supermarket and the persistence of its informal name.

The site occupied by Murder Kroger was formerly associated with Ford Factory Square. During the 1980s, the land was purchased for approximately $900,000, and a Kroger supermarket opened there on July 2, 1986. The location became a conventional neighborhood grocery store serving the Poncey–Highland area, but it also hosted services such as driver's-license renewal during the 1990s and at least part of the early 2000s. The store's informal identity changed after a series of incidents. In January 1990, a bomb-like device was found inside the supermarket without detonating. In 1991, Cynthia Prioleau was shot and killed in the parking lot. The event led to the use of Scary Kroger and helped establish the more lasting Murder Kroger nickname. In October 1999, a man robbed the Bank of America branch operating inside the store. In August 2002, a man's body was found in a car in the parking lot after a strong odor attracted attention. A separate 2012 homicide involving Lee Lowery occurred inside the nearby Ford Factory Lofts, an apartment complex sharing the parking area, and was also connected in local accounts with the broader site. The supermarket was refurbished around 2002, as two nearby Publix stores increased competitive pressure. Further improvements were planned during the 2010s, including a bicycle and pedestrian ramp to the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail, a bicycle-repair station, improved sidewalks and curbs, landscaping, a runoff-filtering water-quality pond, LED parking-lot lighting, and resurfacing. Kroger promoted the renovated location as Beltline Kroger, seeking to associate it with the area's redevelopment and trail-oriented urban identity. That effort did not displace the older nickname. On March 10, 2015, Joshua R. Richey was fatally shot near the Kroger building. In January 2016, Kroger announced that it would demolish the original store as part of the 725 Ponce mixed-use redevelopment. The old building closed on October 28, 2016, and was demolished soon afterward. The replacement store opened on October 16, 2019, inside the new development, alongside office space and expanded parking. The replacement building did not erase the local name. Although Kroger officials and some media accounts presented Beltline Kroger as the preferred or newer identity, Atlanta residents continued to use Murder Kroger. The nickname was also reinforced by popular culture, including a song of the same name by Attractive Eighties Women. Its persistence illustrates how a local retail place can acquire a cultural identity independent of the formal corporate brand and retain that identity even after the original building, layout, and marketing strategy have changed.

1. 2019New 725 Ponce Kroger opens

   A replacement store opens on October 16 within the new mixed-use development, but the Murder Kroger nickname remains in local use.

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2. 2016Redevelopment is announced and the original store closes

   Kroger announces the 725 Ponce redevelopment on January 15. The original store closes on October 28 and is demolished shortly afterward.

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3. 2015Joshua R. Richey is fatally shot

   Joshua R. Richey is killed by a gunshot near the Kroger building on March 10.

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4. 2014BeltLine-oriented renovations are planned

   Planned improvements include trail access, a bike-repair station, sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater treatment, lighting, and parking-lot resurfacing.

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5. 2012Lee Lowery is killed at the adjacent Ford Factory Lofts

   Georgia State University student Lee Lowery is murdered inside the nearby apartment building that shares a parking area with the supermarket.

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6. 2002Store refurbishment and body discovery

   The store is refurbished around the time nearby Publix locations intensify competition. During the same year, a dead man is found inside a car in the parking lot.

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7. 1999Bank branch robbery

   A man robs the Bank of America branch located inside the supermarket.

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8. 1991Cynthia Prioleau is killed

   Twenty-five-year-old Cynthia Prioleau is fatally shot in the parking lot. The incident helps give rise to the Scary Kroger and Murder Kroger nicknames.

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9. 1990Undetonated bomb-like device is found

   A bomb-like device is discovered inside the store but does not go off.

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10. 1986Original Kroger store opens

    The supermarket at 725 Ponce de Leon Avenue opens on July 2 on land previously associated with Ford Factory Square.

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A neighborhood Kroger supermarket with strong local name recognition, situated near the Atlanta BeltLine and repositioned through redevelopment as a modern urban grocery destination. Its unofficial identity is shaped more by Atlanta folklore and site history than by formal Kroger branding.

• Kroger supermarketSupermarket1986

  The location is a full-service neighborhood grocery store operating under Kroger's supermarket format. Its typical retail scope includes fresh and packaged groceries, produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery, deli, household products, and related consumer staples. The present store occupies space within the 725 Ponce mixed-use development and is connected to the surrounding urban neighborhood and Atlanta BeltLine area.

• 2019Beltline Kroger rebranding

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Following construction of the replacement store, Kroger and local coverage attempted to associate the location with the more favorable Beltline Kroger identity rather than its longstanding informal nickname.

  Outcome. The rebranding was unsuccessful in replacing local usage. Residents continued to call the new store Murder Kroger.

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• 2014Beltline Kroger renovation and access improvements

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Kroger promoted renovations intended to modernize the store and connect it more closely with the Atlanta BeltLine. Planned work included bicycle and pedestrian access, a repair station, improved sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, lighting, and parking upgrades.

  Outcome. The improvements strengthened the store's BeltLine-oriented positioning, but the local nickname Murder Kroger remained dominant.

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• 2019Promote the replacement location as Beltline KrogerStrategy

  The new store was designed as part of 725 Ponce and positioned near the Atlanta BeltLine.

  What changed. Kroger sought to associate the replacement supermarket with the BeltLine rather than the older Murder Kroger nickname.

  Aftermath. Local residents and media continued to use Murder Kroger, making the informal name applicable to the replacement store as well.

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• 2016Replace the original store through the 725 Ponce redevelopmentStrategy

  The original building was aging and the surrounding area was undergoing urban redevelopment near the Atlanta BeltLine.

  What changed. Kroger announced demolition of the existing supermarket and planned a new store within a mixed-use project containing offices and expanded parking.

  Aftermath. The original store closed and was demolished in 2016. The replacement opened in 2019, but the Murder Kroger nickname survived the change of building and branding.

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• 2019A replacement Kroger opens at 725 Ponce

  The new supermarket opened on October 16, 2019, within the 725 Ponce development. Despite efforts to associate it with the BeltLine Kroger name, local usage continued to call it Murder Kroger.

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• 2016Kroger announces demolition and redevelopment of the original store

  Kroger announced that the existing building would be replaced by a new supermarket within 725 Ponce, a mixed-use project with office space and expanded parking.

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• 2015Joshua R. Richey is fatally shot near the Kroger location

  Joshua R. Richey, an Alabama construction worker and father of four, was fatally shot in the chest in the parking area beside the Kroger building.

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• 2002A deceased man is discovered in a car in the Murder Kroger parking lot

  A strong odor led a woman to report a vehicle to police, who found the corpse of a man inside. The discovery became part of the location's local reputation.

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• 1991A Kroger location in Atlanta becomes associated with the nickname Murder Kroger after a fatal 1991 shooting

  Cynthia Prioleau, 25, was fatally shot in the supermarket parking lot. The incident is commonly identified as the origin of the location's enduring nickname, with Scary Kroger also appearing in contemporary descriptions.

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1. Murder Kroger
2. Kroger store information for location 01100295