Lithonia

Overview

Lithonia is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, located approximately 20 miles east of downtown Atlanta along Interstate 20. The community sits within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area and is part of the DeKalb County governance structure. Lithonia is the location of the cold case referenced in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 2 Episode 3 ("A Fatal Attraction"), which Katie Long unraveled after her relationship with Joyce Pelzer in Largo, Florida.

City Context

Lithonia is a small city in DeKalb County, Georgia with a population of approximately 2,000 residents within city limits, though the surrounding unincorporated area is considerably larger. The city is known for its granite quarries — the name "Lithonia" derives from the Greek word for stone — and its position along the historic railroad corridor east of Atlanta. DeKalb County, which encompasses Lithonia, is one of Georgia's most populous counties and is served by the DeKalb County Police Department and the DeKalb County District Attorney's office.

The DeKalb County court system, headquartered at the courthouse in Decatur, Georgia, handles criminal cases arising from the Lithonia area. Cold cases in DeKalb County fall under the jurisdiction of the county's criminal investigations division, which maintains files on unsolved homicides and periodically reviews them when new information becomes available.

DeKalb County

DeKalb County is a large county in the Atlanta metropolitan area with a population exceeding 750,000 residents. The county's law enforcement and judicial infrastructure handles a significant caseload, which can contribute to cases going dormant when active leads are exhausted. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines how the Lithonia cold case became inactive within the DeKalb County system before being revived by information from an unexpected source in Largo, Florida.

The DeKalb County District Attorney's office prosecutes criminal cases arising from Lithonia and the surrounding area. The historic DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur serves as the seat of county government and the location where criminal proceedings related to the cold case would be handled.

The Cold Case

The cold case referenced in the Worst Ex Ever episode involves a homicide in Lithonia, Georgia that went unsolved for an extended period. The case became dormant in the DeKalb County system — lacking active leads or identified suspects — until Joyce Pelzer's confession to her partner Katie Long in Largo, Florida provided new information. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines how the case languished in the system before being reactivated.

The specifics of the Lithonia cold case are presented in the Worst Ex Ever episode within the constraints of potentially ongoing legal proceedings. The true crime series acknowledges that the investigation may still be active and that formal charges or adjudication may be pending in the DeKalb County court system.

Connection to Worst Ex Ever

Lithonia, Georgia's appearance in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever stems from its role as the location of the cold case that Joyce Pelzer confessed to during her relationship with Katie Long in Largo, Florida. The Worst Ex Ever episode connects two geographically distant locations — Largo, Florida and Lithonia, Georgia — through the thread of Pelzer's confession, demonstrating how intimate relationships can surface information relevant to unsolved crimes across state lines.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever uses the Lithonia case to examine broader themes about cold case investigations, the limitations of law enforcement resources, and the unexpected ways in which dormant cases can be revived. The true crime episode presents Lithonia, Georgia as a community where justice was delayed but potentially not denied, thanks to Katie Long's decision to report what she learned in Largo, Florida.