The victim’s family called the verdict a step toward healing after a short trial in Fulton County.
ATLANTA, Ga. — A Fulton County jury found Randy King guilty on all counts Thursday in the fatal shooting of Buckhead valet Harrison Olvey, and a judge sentenced King to life in prison without parole plus 20 years for the Labor Day weekend 2023 killing outside a busy nightlife area.
The verdict and sentence closed a case that drew attention because it began with a late night confrontation over an alleged car break in near a popular club district. Prosecutors argued Olvey was shot while trying to stop a theft, while the defense insisted King was present but did not fire the gun. The judge said the sentence was driven in part by what he called King’s lack of remorse during the proceedings, and King’s lawyer said the defense plans to seek a new trial and then appeal if that request is denied.
Testimony at trial focused on what happened around 2 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2023, when Olvey, 25, was working as a valet near Tongue and Groove nightclub in Buckhead. Prosecutors told jurors Olvey noticed someone breaking into a vehicle and moved in to stop it. The shooting happened near the intersection of Piedmont Road and Lindbergh Drive, an area packed with restaurants, parking lots and late night traffic. Olvey was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died. King pleaded not guilty, and the case went to trial this week with opening statements on Tuesday and closing arguments on Wednesday.
Jurors heard from investigators and reviewed video evidence that prosecutors said showed the moments leading up to the gunfire and what followed. Atlanta Police Sgt. Al Hogan, identified in court as the lead detective, testified that King acted alone and fired the fatal shot. The medical examiner testified that Olvey died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Jurors also watched law enforcement video and other footage that the prosecution said captured the chaos after Olvey was hit. The defense pressed Hogan during cross examination, arguing that a gun was not visible in the recordings and suggesting another person could have fired the shot.
The defense pointed to statements that Olvey reported seeing two men at the scene and argued that King was involved in auto related crimes but was not the shooter. King’s attorney, Anton Rowe, said after the sentencing that King has acknowledged the auto related offense but has maintained he did not shoot Olvey. The state, however, argued the evidence tied King directly to the gunfire and the attempted theft. The jury foreperson read the verdict aloud in court, finding King guilty on all counts, including murder related charges, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, entering an automobile to commit a theft, and firearms offenses.
In the courtroom, family members on both sides reacted as the verdicts were read. Reporters in the room described King as quiet and stone faced at the defense table. Across the aisle, sobs and cries could be heard from relatives as deputies watched closely. Olvey’s mother, Autumn Ernst, sat with supporters and later spoke about what the decision meant. “I’m very relieved,” Ernst said, adding that the outcome did not bring her son back but did bring a measure of justice. She said the family had lived with uncertainty for more than two years and wanted jurors to see the impact of the loss.
Ernst said she and her daughter, Addison, listened to painful evidence during the short trial and at times stepped into the hallway when it became too difficult. The case, she said, reshaped daily life in ways she did not expect, from the routine of anniversaries to the quiet moments at home. After Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Ernst gathered with friends and relatives at a sports bar in Suwanee and toasted her son with his favorite drink, a vodka soda, she said. “I’ll never be able to fully move on with my life because my son’s not here to be part of it,” she told a reporter, saying the family hoped it could start to heal now that the court case had reached a verdict.
Prosecutors described Olvey as a recent college graduate who was working valet shifts as a temporary job while preparing for his next step. Olvey had graduated from Kennesaw State University a few months before he was killed and had been offered a job with State Farm, his mother said. The valet work, she said, was a way to help pay for school and cover expenses as he transitioned into full time employment. Friends and former classmates have remembered him as social and dependable, and his death prompted memorial events that continued into the following year.
One of those efforts was a fundraising car wash held by members of the Kennesaw State University chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity in April 2024 to raise money for a memorial scholarship in Olvey’s name. Supporters have also gathered for birthdays and anniversaries, sharing photos and stories about his life before the shooting. Ernst said she and other family members got tattoos in his memory in the month he died, and she has considered adding more designs tied to his writing and symbols she associates with him. She said Olvey would have turned 28 on April 29, a date that still lands hard for relatives who expected him to be there.
The killing occurred in a part of Atlanta that has faced repeated concerns about car break ins and late night crime, especially around weekend crowds. Investigators said the confrontation started when Olvey saw someone inside or near a truck outside a LongHorn Steakhouse in the Uptown Atlanta development, previously known as Lindbergh City Center, close to where his valet job was operating. The area sits near major roads and ramps, and prosecutors said the suspect fled quickly after the shooting. Trial testimony described the moments as fast and confusing, with traffic moving nearby and people reacting in the dark.
In addition to the life sentence without parole, the judge added 20 years, making clear that King will spend the rest of his life in prison unless later court action changes the outcome. The judge said the sentence decision was influenced by King’s behavior in court and what he described as a lack of remorse. Victim impact statements were read before the sentence was imposed, with family members describing the pain of losing Olvey and the changes in their lives since Sept. 3, 2023. Attorneys on both sides addressed the court after the jury’s decision and before the judge announced the punishment.
Rowe said the defense plans to file a motion next week seeking a new trial. Such motions argue that legal errors or other problems affected the verdict. If the judge denies the request, Rowe said, the defense plans to appeal to a higher court. Appeals can take months or longer and often focus on whether the trial was conducted fairly and whether key rulings should stand. Prosecutors did not publicly outline their next steps after sentencing, but the conviction means the case is now positioned to move into the post trial process.
For Olvey’s family, the end of the trial brought a mix of relief and renewed grief. Ernst said she drafted and revised her statement for more than a year, trying to choose words that would show the judge and jurors the lasting impact of the killing. She said she wanted King to hear directly how her son’s death affected siblings, friends and extended family. Supporters filled much of the courtroom, some traveling from out of state, and hugged in the hallway after the sentence was read. “We tried to really pack out the courtroom,” Ernst said, explaining that the family wanted the proceedings to reflect how many people cared about Olvey.
King was arrested in the weeks after the shooting, and earlier reporting on the case said relatives helped turn him in. During the investigation, his mother told reporters she believed he may have been present during car break ins but denied he was the gunman. That dispute over who fired the shot remained central to the trial, even as prosecutors argued the evidence showed King acted alone. The jury deliberated Thursday morning and returned with a guilty verdict around midday, capping a trial that lasted only a few days but revisited a violent moment that relatives said still feels close.
Author note: Last updated February 13, 2026.