The bodies of 61-year old Nicola Sramek and her son 29-year old James Sramek were discovered by the Gwinnett County police inside Barrington Hills apartment in Norcross on Sunday night.
Jamie Arvia, the sister and daughter of the victims, first alerted police that both of them had missed several days of work. They could have been killed a week or more before their bodies were discovered. Investigators told Arvia that her loved ones suffered a brutal death. Police confirmed the victims were stabbed and beaten to death, and it occurred over a prolonged period.
"He (the medical examiner) said, 'I want you to read in between the lines when I tell you this. She suffered, for a span of time'. 'Torture'? 'Basically yes,'" said Arvia.
James recorded rap music under the name "Illa" and was known around the Atlanta community on the rap scene for at least six years, according to his longtime friend. His Facebook profile has several pictures of him with musical artists including 2 Chainz, Usher, Lyfe Jennings, and Twista. He worked at Tony's Sports Bar and Grill in Roswell.
Though Sramek's friends say he didn't have any enemies, he did reportedly face some push back in the hip-hop community because of the color of his skin. "He never let that bother him because his thing was, 'It doesn't matter what I look like," said co-worker Simone Young. Police do not have any suspects in custody or a motive for the killings, but it is believed that whoever committed the murders was after James and his mother may have been collateral damage.
Homicide detectives are investigating the case and people with information are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 to collect a $4,000 reward.
Source: walb.com
