Authorities say the Dec. 27 shooting on Cooledge Avenue was an isolated murder-suicide; no suspects are sought.
ATLANTA — Atlanta police on Tuesday confirmed that investigator Kevin Stroner, 56, fatally shot his girlfriend, 44-year-old Moriah Cardona, and then himself inside his Virginia-Highland home, a case that has jolted a neighborhood known for its cafes and sidewalks just east of Midtown.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled Cardona’s death a homicide and Stroner’s a suicide. Investigators said both suffered gunshot wounds and were found Saturday, Dec. 27, after friends requested a welfare check when calls and messages went unanswered following Christmas gatherings. Detectives recovered a handgun near the bodies and said early evidence points to an incident contained within the home, with no wider threat. The department is balancing a criminal inquiry into the killing with an administrative review triggered when an employee dies in a violent incident.
Police outlined a basic timeline: Friends last saw the couple around Christmas Day; by late Saturday morning, concerns had grown, and a small group went to Stroner’s Cooledge Avenue address. They dialed 911 after entering and seeing the scene. In the recorded call released this week, a caller, breathless and upset, told the dispatcher there was “blood everywhere” and tried to confirm whether anyone else was inside. Officers arrived within minutes, secured the house and radioed for homicide detectives and the medical examiner. Neighbors said police remained on the block for hours as technicians documented rooms and collected ballistic evidence.
Stroner had served with APD for 13 years and previously worked cases as an investigator, according to officials. The home is listed in his name, property records show. Friends described Cardona as dependable and social, someone who remembered birthdays and helped coordinate gatherings. Police have not released a motive. Detectives said they are reviewing the couple’s recent movements, text histories and financial records, along with ballistics and gun-trace data. Toxicology results, which can take several weeks, will be part of the final medical examiner report.
Virginia-Highland’s narrow streets and bungalow porches were busy with holiday visitors when police tape crossed the front steps. Several residents said they saw crime scene vans and an unmarked sedan parked along the curb. A neighbor recalled officers asking whether anyone heard shouting or a gunshot earlier in the week; none reported clear audio of a gunfire crack. Friends who gathered at the curb later placed flowers by the stairs. One neighbor said Stroner often waved on morning walks; a friend of Cardona remembered her “warm laugh and check-in texts when people were going through it.”
APD said it would finish its homicide case report once lab work and the medical examiner’s final findings arrive. Because investigators believe the shooter is deceased, no court hearings are expected. Police said they will close the case after completing interviews and documenting the chain of custody for evidence. The department’s wellness team has been made available to employees who knew Stroner, while friends of Cardona said they plan a private memorial in the coming days.
As of Wednesday morning, the official status remained an apparent murder-suicide with no additional suspects and no public threat. The next expected milestone is the release of the medical examiner’s written report later in January.
Author note: Last updated January 1, 2026.