Stone Mountain: The Tale of Two Women Seeking Justice
It’s been a tumultuous journey for two women who, after almost a decade, are beginning to see some semblance of justice in Stone Mountain. In 2013, what seemed like a harmless and adventurous night turned into a nightmare that would linger for years. It all started when they responded to an ad on social media promising free tattoos. It led them to a home crammed with unwarranted evil under the guise of art.
Upon arrival at the given address, the anticipation of new ink quickly transformed into trepidation when they met Laurence Innerarity and Ryan Savage. The men, seemingly friendly, immediately ushered them into what felt like a forced happy hour, offering them alcohol. The women’s night out took a sharp detour into unsettling territory. As drinks flowed beyond their comfort, they began to feel not just groggy but alarmingly incapacitated.
Despite the watchful haze that clouded the evening, one thing became acutely clear: the promise of tattoos was deceit. After much insistence, one of the women found herself upstairs, only to be pulled into a yawning void of consciousness and memory while presumably being tattooed. Her friend faced a similar fate, being relocated upstairs under a shroud of intoxication and unconsciousness.
The night descended into chaos with frantic screams piercing the air; one of the women hollered in distress, a gut-wrenching acknowledgment of having been sexually assaulted. This moment marked the unwelcome permanence of the night’s horrors.
In the aftermath of this traumatic event, the first call they made when they reached a safe haven was to the police. A subsequent visit to Dekalb Medical saw a rape kit done in earnest on that very morning. Yet, as time behind bars eluded the men responsible, they felt justice slip through their fingers as years padded by with no tangible outcomes.
During the early chapters of their fight for justice, sadder revelations came forth. Laurence, one of their alleged attackers, adopted a new moniker — Peso Montana, a name many began to recognize in Atlanta’s raving scene. Peso, now a renowned promoter and rapper, thrived rather audaciously. For years, he became infamous not just for his beats but for organizing parties that allegedly masked dark intentions.
Despite finding themselves entangled in a seemingly silent battle of trauma and powerlessness, the women were not alone. Multiple others shared eerily similar stories, yet the fear, fueled by threats, kept them hushed.
Hope entered this narrative nearly ten years later. It emerged, surprisingly attached to a different case subjected to similar anguish and heartbreak. Both Innerarity and Savage were found guilty on October 3rd on a separate rape case. The sentence was monumental — life in prison with potential parole dangling only after 50 arduous years.
The case was handled diligently, representing a significant stride by the District Attorney’s Office with newfound vigor, championed by the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit that recently expanded. Spurred by this, potential victims, long subdued by fear, began stepping forward.
The lament for the women centered around the crushing timeliness of the statute of limitations. Their decade-old ordeal, though formative in their courage, cannot pursue new legal avenues. However, their bravery in breaking the silence offers hope, a beacon for other victims to voice their truth.
For Stone Mountain, this story is as much about the pursuit and, in some respect, achievement of justice, as it is about the profound resilience and courage to face down the unspeakable.
