Police Chief Jack Boger rejected accusations by some that the investigation was slow because of the victims were all working-class blacks. To get the money to pay for the drug, Wallace began breaking into homes and businesses to steal property that he could later pawn. According to Crime Magazine, Wallace went on trial in September 1996, with a jury returning a verdict of guilty on January 7, 1997. He was sometimes forced to walk around the neighborhood in his older sister's clothing as punishment (via Crime Magazine). Dee Sumpter is the mother of victim Shawna Hawk. The marriage was short lived. On Friday, a special episode of ABCs 20/20 examined a jailhouse interview with the killer. The guilt, you know, when she told me come over and see me that night and I didnt go, and then he came and killed her, Burrell said, crying. Brandi Henderson holding her newborn son Tyrece Woods. He was nicknamed the "Taco Bell Strangler" because he worked with most of his victims in fast food restaurants. 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Dee Sumpter holds a photo of her daughter Shawna Hawk in 2022. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Even though his academics weren't the best, he was admitted intoSouth Carolina State College (where he attended one semester) and to a technical school that he briefly attended. While many serial murderers come from impoverished backgrounds, that isn't necessarily a defining characteristic. Serial killer Henry Louis Wallace killing spree began in 1990 with the murder of Tashonda Bethea in his hometown of Barnwell, South Carolina. She once went to a comedy show with Wallace, who came to pick her up at the house, but was not interested in dating him, her mother says. Wallace was arrested on March 13, 1994. "Serial Killer Henry Louis Wallace." Burrell has carried a burden for 28 years and thats one of the reasons he had been hesitant to see Woods. He was fired after he was caught stealing CDs. Police finally zeroed in on Wallace after they located Baucoms car and found his palm print on the trunk. Not allow the anger and violence to rule our lives, she said. Despite the fact that Lottie worked long hours at a full-time job in a textile mill, the family had very little money. Wallace was arrested on March 13, 1994, and made admissions to police. All of that happened in this spot, Woods said. Wallace went back to the same apartment complex on the night of March 8, 1994, knowing that a man named Berness Woods would be at work and would have access to Woods' girlfriend, Brandi June Henderson. Wallaces first murder victim was 18-year-old Tashanda Bethea, a local woman. In college, Henry Louis Wallace worked as a disc jockey at a local radio station. They tell me she was a great person, they say she wanted the best for me, Woods said. The family was forced to live in a small home with no indoor plumbing or electricity (via ThoughtCo), quarters they shared with Wallace's great-grandmother. Still, he feels the primary culprit was the homicide units understaffing, he says. I dont believe hes sorry. They all knew a man named Henry Louis Wallace. The only survivor was a 10-month-old boy, Tyrese Woods. May 13, 2022 Henry Louis Wallace's arrest in March 1994 marked the end of a long reign of terror in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Who would want to kill this beautiful, innocent, sweet, kind, loving person, my best friend, my daughter? Sumpter told 20/20 in 2022. In this Jan. 29, 1997, file photo, convicted murderer Henry Louis Wallace, surrounded by Mecklenberg County sheriffs deputies, is led to a transport van after a jury recommended nine death sentences for him in Charlotte, N.C. Wallace, who was transported to Raleigh's Central prison, received one death sentence for each of his nine victims. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). He was arrested on March 13, 1994. (WATCH BELOW: He had nowhere to go: Accused killer captured in SC after weeklong manhunt), He had nowhere to go: Accused killer captured in SC after weeklong manhunt. Im still here, its like Im a survivor, Woods said. Dee Sumpter and two others started Mothers of Murdered Offspring. He also led police to Loves body, whod been deemed a missing person. Officially, nine is the death toll of Wallace, as he wasn't found guilty in the 1990 murder of Tashonda Bethea (per Murderpedia). Later, the authorities found it in a parking lot and recovered a palm print. Henry Louis Wallace is a serial killer who raped and murdered 10 women in Charlotte and one woman in his hometown of Barnwell, S.C., from 1990 to 1994. . What Was Jeffrey Dahmers Childhood Like? Wallace had been Hawk's manager at Taco Bell.After her murder, Wallace attended her wake. [1] Early life [ edit] Please subscribe to keep reading. He let himself in with his girlfriend's key and lay in wait in the empty apartment for Love to return home. Of the women who were his victims, three of them worked at Taco Bell and ten overall were friends and casual acquaintances (via A&E). It just didnt matter to them, Sumpter, who pushed the police department to keep investigating her daughters murder, tells A&E True Crime. Montaldo, Charles. In June 1992, Wallace claimed his third victim, Caroline Love, who was his girlfriend's roommate. Neither school would confirm that he was a student. Burrell has carried a burden for 28 years and thats one of the reasons he had been hesitant to see Woods. He leans over to hug me and says, Ive been wanting to come and see you. For the first time in the 25 years since his conviction, we look inside the mind of a cold-blooded killer. He even attended at least one of their funerals, according to a 1995 article in The Charlotte Observer. The department stated that although they were overworked and understaffed to handle the surge in homicide cases in the Charlotte metro area at the time. WSOC file video of the investigation into one of Henry Wallace's murders. Man died Wednesday. The victims were strangleda manner of death that accounts for well under 10 percent of murdersthe crime scenes were all neat and there were no signs of forced entry, pointing to the fact that the women likely knew their murderer. Henry Louis Wallace was born on November 4, 1965, in Barnwell, South Carolina, to Lottie Mae Wallace, a single mother. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. To pay for the narcotics, he began burglarizing homes and businesses. [The murders] should've never happened, but it made us better detectives and it made Charlotte Police Department a better homicide unit, said McFadden. At the time, Wallace worked part-time as a disc jockey, which he preferred to college. His mother, Brandi Henderson, was in the same bedroom, murdered -- strangled to death. We trusted him totally.' In the final days before his arrest, Wallace murdered three Black women in a span of four days. To cover up the crime, his sister's friend attempted to burn her body. The Real Reason It Took So Long To Convict The Taco Bell Strangler Henry Louis Wallace. Data generally indicate that most serial killers are white, with 13 percent to 20 percent who are Black, according to the study. 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All those factors were working together in concert.. The two had recently welcomed a newborn son. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. But within several years of joining the Navy, Wallace began experimenting with drugs. He pawned everything except the car, which he left at a shopping center. However, the Henry Louis Wallace preyed on women known to him, and the next life he took was a friend of his sister's, Valencia M. Jumper, in August 1993. All Rights Reserved. She was an 18-year-old and living with her boyfriend at the time. After the murder, Wallace moved to Charlotte and resumed his crimes in 1992. The couple was wed in a room adjacent to the execution chamber that Wallace will one day sit inside and suffer the fate the state of South Carolina handed him. 2023 Cox Media Group. (Watch the video below: Interview: Sister of last known victim killed by Charlotte serial killer Henry Wallace) . In 1997, Wallace was found guilty of nine murders and given nine death sentences. Mack's sister, Leslie Little, had introduced Mack to Wallace in July 1993. In February 1991, Wallace broke into his old high school and the radio station where he once worked. Henry Louis Wallaces arrest in March 1994 marked the end of a long reign of terror in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. His breathing was labored and he barely survived. There, lessons of , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. The fast-food restaurant worker confessed to killing eleven women, with 10 in Charlotte. (Watch the video above: There was no way I could stop: Wallace confesses to murders in jailhouse interviews). They pulled his mugshot, in which he wore a cross-shaped earring, just like a man who was identified as having used Macks ATM card after her death. He exhausted all of his plea attempts, with the United States Supreme Court denying hearing an appeal in 2001; no execution date has been set. ``He was a pleasant sort of person,' said station owner Drew Wilder. ThoughtCooutlines how most of Wallace's remaining victims were women that were known to him. Sumpters 20-year-old daughter, Shawna Hawk, was murdered by Wallace in 1993. Some claimed that the police were slow in investigating the murders because the murdered women were all working-class black women, but the police denied that. He said it reinforced the lesson of listening to the families of victims because they are the voices of the victims.. She is continuing to support Mothers of Murdered Offspring, but is not as actively involved anymore. Serial Killer Henry Louis Wallace. She was such a great mother, she would have done anything at all for him, Burrell said. While stationed in Washington, he was served with burglary warrants for crimesin theSeattlemetro area. There was no way I could stop: Wallace confesses to murders in jailhouse interviews, (Watch the video above: There was no way I could stop: Wallace confesses to murders in jailhouse interviews). The authorities were led to Henry through some physical evidence. The fast-food restaurant worker confessed to killing eleven women, with 10 in Charlotte. Her body was found two days later. Despite the crime, Wallace was able to apply for and receive an honorable discharge in 1992. It took police two years to finally track down the culprit, who was later identified as Henry Louis Wallace, America's first . I fight for my own breath sometimes. ET. Back home in Barnwell after his Navy stint, Wallace worked as a chemical operator for Sandoz Chemical Co., a chemical plant of 200 workers in Martin, near Barnwell. Following the crimes, the media would ask the questions: Why weren't the crimes identified as serial killings much earlier? He knew both of them, and both lived at the complex. Within this shell there are two people, Wallace had said. Wallace, an African American, did not fit the profile of the typical serial murderer, who is almost always caucasian. His close brush with death at just 10 months has molded him as a man. On the evening of March 8, 1994, Woods and his mother, Brandi June Henderson, were at home in Charlotte, N.C., when a man named Henry Louis Wallace entered their apartment. Wallace's mother was a strict disciplinarian who had little patience for her young son. he went to the police station with the victim's sister to file a missing persons report. In a brazen act, Henry had even shown up to the funerals of some of his victims. Friends said Wallace liked to drink beer, listen to rap music and hang out at Granville Apartments on North Sharon Amity Road, where neighbors said he had lived since August. Wallace accompanied his sister to Jumper . He said it was something that happened in his head and he couldnt explain it, Ms. Wallace said. Since his trial, the staffing problem at the police department in Charlotte has improved to help improve the quality of similar homicide investigations, per A&E. . They learned of his arrest Sunday through news reports. Friends said he lived in Glen Hollow Apartments on Central Avenue, where two women were found strangled, one on June 25, 1993, and one last Saturday. George Burrell is the cousin of Brandi Henderson. In high school, he got good grades, served on the student council and was well-liked as the only male on the cheerleading squad, according to a 1994 article in The Charlotte Observer. Though Wallace shares the same childhood abuse traumas as is common with killers, the remaining boxes on the profile checklist aren't all checked. In 2000, North Carolinas Supreme Court upheld the death sentences. She said her son has offered little explanation in the two phone conversations they have had since he was charged Sunday. We worked under very difficult conditions, says McFadden, now sheriff in Mecklenburg County. Wallace would go on to be responsible for nine other murders, with the victims ranging in age from 18-35, per A&E. Crime Magazine reports that Henry Louis Wallace's life unraveled after his stint in the Navy. From 1992 . Following this, Kirkpatrick investigated her home to find Hawk submerged in water in the bathtub. July 20, 2010. He went on to rape and murder nine women in Charlotte, North Carolina between 1992 and 1994. In 1985, he married high school classmate, Maretta Brabham. We never had time to collaborate, we never had time to give [cases] a lot of attention. However, he believes its because society as a whole devalues Black lives, and law enforcements efforts are unduly pressured by media coverage of white crime victims, he says. But without evidence, police couldn't charge him with the crime. His mother would not allow him to play football, so he became a cheerleader instead. At one time, Wallace was married. On Friday, a special episode of ABCs 20/20 examined a jailhouse interview with the killer. All of a sudden, they started seeing connections in things that had happened 20 months ago.. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Says McFadden, now sheriff in Mecklenburg County bedroom, murdered -- strangled death! They all knew a man the first time in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina between 1992 1994! Wallace began experimenting with drugs, Ive been wanting to come and see.... 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