In June 1992, Wallace claimed his third victim, Caroline Love, who was his girlfriend's roommate. Im so sorry,' Sumpter recalls. Henry Louis Wallace, known as "The Charlotte Strangler" and "The Taco Bell Strangler," murdered 11 Black women in the span of four years in the 1990s. For the first time in the 25 years since his conviction, we look inside the mind of a cold-blooded killer. Wallace raped Henderson while she held her baby, and then strangled her. As Wallace outgrew out his clothing, he was given his sister's hand-me-downs to wear. He is believed to be the first documented serial killer who knew all of his victims. After high school, he worked off and on for 1 1/2 years at WBAW-FM in Barnwell as a deejay. He went on to rape and murder ninewomen in Charlotte, North Carolina between 1992 and 1994. 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. Henry Louis Wallace terrorized east Charlotte for more than two years. McFadden said he reflects on the investigation. He leans over to hug me and says, Ive been wanting to come and see you. Who would want to kill this beautiful, innocent, sweet, kind, loving person, my best friend, my daughter? Sumpter told 20/20 in 2022. Woods was found with a ligature wrapped around his neck. He would rather have died than for me to find out. Burrell declined, but he wonders if that would have saved her life. Police were stunned at the enormity of his crimes, McFadden says. 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. Woods now lives in Florida with his wife and three kids and works for a uniform company in the Tampa area. 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). He hurt me and I just dont want to see him right now, she said. Anguished, she collapsed to the floor with such force that she hit her head and started bleeding, she recalls. Officially, nine is the death toll of Wallace, as he wasn't found guilty in the 1990 murder of Tashonda Bethea (per Murderpedia). Henry Louis Wallace: A Calamity Waiting to Happen . He knew most of these women through work, his girlfriend, or his sister. It just didnt matter to them, Sumpter, who pushed the police department to keep investigating her daughters murder, tells A&E True Crime. He was nicknamed the Taco Bell Strangler because he worked with most of his victims in fast food restaurants. He was also questioned in connection with the attempted rape of a 16-year-old Barnwell girl, but again, was not charged. In the days before his arrest, Betty Baucom was found murdered in her apartment; she had been strangled to death with a ligature, there was evidence of a struggle, and she had been sexually assaulted. The young family relocated to Washington state. The judge sentenced him to two years of supervisedprobation but according to his probation officer, Wallace blew off most of the mandatory meetings. He walked into their life, knowing that at some point he's gonna take their lives.. Stinson was a friend of his from Taco Bell. Henry Louis Wallace was convicted of killing nine women in North Carolina Credit: AP Where is Henry Louis Wallace now? A few days after her. Serial killer Henry Louis Wallace was given nine death sentences Wednesday and then broke the silence he had maintained during his trial by apologizing for the crimes. Montaldo, Charles. In college, Henry Louis Wallace worked as a disc jockey at a local radio station. Woods is now 29 years old with a family of his own. Love was raped, with her cause of death determined to be strangulation (via Caselaw). Navy officials wouldn't immediately disclose Wallace's service record. In March 1993, Hawk's mother, Dee Sumpter, and her godmother Judy Williams founded Mothers of Murdered Offspring, a Charlotte-based support group for parents of murdered children. She saw Wallaces photo on the screen, followed by her daughters. Had we done that, we maybe could have saved the lives of some of these women.. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Dee Sumpter and two others started Mothers of Murdered Offspring. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a statement about the Wallace investigation to ABC News in May 2022. Wiping tears, Wallace sat down as a victims cousin shouted: Why did you kill them?. There was not a level of caring. Wallace picked her up and beat her to death after the two had sex (via Murderpedia). In addition to becoming a husband, he also took on the role of stepfather to Brabham's daughter. He was forced to move back in with his mother, who had moved to the city of Charlotte. A 19-year-old cook at a Captain D's said he worked with Wallace for about a month, recalling that they talked about girls, going out and the Charlotte Hornets. In January 1988, he was arrested while trying to steal a VCR, a television and a microwave oven from a hardware store in Bremerton. Homicide investigator Garry McFadden, who worked on the case, feels that understaffing was the primary problem in the investigation. Heres a list. Even so, Wallace sneaked through to rob and strangle Deborah Ann Slaughter, who had been a co-worker of his girlfriend, and. From all reports, he did what he was told to do and he did it well. He was on the student council and. Henry Louis Wallace, known as The Charlotte Strangler and The Taco Bell Strangler, murdered 11 Black women in the span of four years in the 1990s. Two of those women lived in the same apartment complex. ``I raised them all by myself. [The murders] should've never happened, but it made us better detectives and it made Charlotte Police Department a better homicide unit, said McFadden. Now it was up to authorities to determine the number of lives that Wallace took on his murderous rampage. 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. Sumpter said she believes that police missed obvious connections'' because of the race and status of Wallaces victims. ThoughtCo tells of how he tried to burn her corpse afterward. She did not get along with her mother, either, and the two argued constantly. Henry Louis Wallace (November 4, 1965) is a serial murderer who murdered ten young Black women in Charlotte, North Carolina, between May 1992 and March 1994. However, this time he did not wipe his prints off of the car when he stole it following the murder. The sister of another slain woman called Yvonne Wallace in search of an answer. (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. And why was Wallace able to claim 11 victims before being caught? The Lake Apartments off Albemarle Road was the beginning of the end of Henry Wallaces killing spree. In Brandis case, Henry raped her while she held her young son. Early on, investigators didn't recognize that they were dealing with a dangerous serial killer. WSOC file video of the investigation into one of Henry Wallace's murders. Henry Louis Wallace is currently on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, awaiting execution. All of that happened in this spot, Woods said. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. He knew both of them, and both lived at the complex. One of Henrys mugshots had him wearing the same distinct earring, connecting him to another murder. Once the detective on Brandi Henderson's case got the names of who she would've let into the apartment, he went to see if any of them had any criminal history. He is currently awaiting execution at Central Prison in Raleigh. Wallace made at least one of his victims shower to wash off DNA evidence. Some items from her home were missing, including her car. It began with a newly developed habit of stealing, which after several years evolved into rape and murder. Wallace would go on to be responsible for nine other murders, with the victims ranging in age from 18-35, per A&E. During a press conference following Wallaces arrest, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Deputy Chief Larry Snider said police worked tremendously hard and did an excellent job investigating the cases. 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. 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). On Friday, 20/20 is showing video they obtained from the case -- never-before-seen footage of a jailhouse interview conducted by the profilers who worked with his defense team. In 1994, he murdered two women on the same day. 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. For the first time in the 25 years since his conviction, we look inside the mind of a cold-blooded killer. Her body was discovered floating on a pond in March of that year. Between 1992 and 1994, nine young black women in Charlotte, North Carolina, were raped and strangled to death, the murders increasing in ferocity and rapidity. After he got out of the hospital, his father took him to Chicago and when Tyrece was five, his father passed away, said George Burrell. Had the FBI become involved when they were first asked to by local police, the lives of Wallace's last several victims might have been spared. On February 19, 1993, Wallace strangled Shawna Hawk at her home after first having sex with her and later went to her funeral. With his options limited, Wallace joined the Naval Reserve shortly after his termination (via ThoughtCo). He stated that his confessions had been coerced and his Constitutional rights had been violated. ``He had good manners, respectful.' If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Henry confessed in great detail, talking about the attacks and the sexual assaults. In February 1993, Wallace raped and killed Taco Bell co-workerShawna Hawk. Wallace was the manager of a Taco Bell restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. ThoughtCo, Jul. Her body was found two days later. He was found guilty of nine murders and sentenced to nine death sentences. Henry Louis Wallace terrorized east Charlotte for more than two years. Serial Killer Henry Louis Wallace. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Things seemed to be looking up for Wallace at this point, especially after he married his high school sweetheart and became the stepfather to her daughter. Charles Montaldo is a writer and former licensed private detective who worked with law enforcement and insurance firms investigating crime and fraud. WSOC FILE: Wallace murders WSOC file video of the investigation into one of Henry Wallace's murders. ET. Police in Barnwell questioned Wallace in April 1990 about the disappearance of 18-year-old Tashanda Bethea, who was strangled and found in a pond outside Barnwell. From 1992 to 1994, Wallace killed 10 women. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Despite his volatile home life, Wallace was popular at Barnwell High School. Rebecca wore a pale green dress covered with pink flowers and a pearl necklace. ABC News 20/20: Lock the Door Behind You chronicles the work that went into the arrest and the allegations surrounding the polices attitude toward the victims. Its like youre in a dream and youre eventually going to wake up - thats how it seems to me, she said in an interview at her home Tuesday. Ms. Bethea had lived with her aunt and uncle in the same Barnwell neighborhood as the Wallace family. Baucom and Wallace's girlfriend were co-workers. He also led police to Loves body, whod been deemed a missing person. The Lake Apartments off Albemarle Road was the beginning of the end of Henry Wallaces killing spree. Henry Louis Wallace was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, son of Lottie Mae Wallace and a married schoolteacher who walked out on Lottie when he found out she was pregnant. His mother said he left the Navy in 1988. 'He attended Barnwell High School, where he played one season each of junior varsity football and basketball. 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. Their father has been gone for years, and their mother said she has since heard that he had died. The race of Wallaces victims may have also played a role, according to Dee Sumpter, co-founder of the victims rights group Mothers of Murdered Offspring in Charlotte. Despite Wallaces frequent calls and visits, his family said they learned just last month that he had a problem with crack cocaine. The victims were raped and then strangled. He also tried to strangle Hendersons 10-month-old son, who survived. According to the authorities, Henry gained the trust of his victims before killing them. 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