Henry louis wallace biography

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.

Wallace was the manager of a Taco Bell restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ten of his victims were his friends or acquaintances, including three who worked at the restaurant, and one who was the roommate of his girlfriend.

He raped and strangled most of his victims, who unsuspectingly let him into their homes. He even attended at least one of their funerals, according to a 1995 article in The Charlotte Observer.

[Stream an episode of First Blood about Henry Louis Wallace and his victims in the A&E App.]

Investigators didn’t figure out a serial killer was at large until Wallace murdered two women who lived in the same apartment complex on back-to-back days in March 1994. He killed his 11th victim shortly after, and finally was caught and arrested on March 12, 1994.

Investigating Under ‘Difficult Conditions’

During a press conference following Wallace’s arrest, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Deputy Chief Larry Snider said police “worked tremendously hard” and “did an excellent job” investigating the cases.

“We’re sorry that we didn’t get him identified earlier,” he said. “Had we done that, we maybe could have saved the lives of some of these women.”

With a total 129 murders, 1993 was the deadliest year in Charlotte, partly fueled by the crack epidemic. Former Charlotte-Mecklenburg homicide detective Garry McFadden, who

Serial killer Henry Louis Wallace killing spree began in 1990 with the murder of Tashonda Bethea in his hometown of Barnwell, South Carolina. He went on to rape and murder nine women in Charlotte, North Carolina between 1992 and 1994. He was arrested on March 13, 1994. After a subsequent trial and conviction, Wallace (a.k.a. "The Taco Bell Strangler") was given death penalty on nine counts and is awaiting the sentence to be carried out.

Early Life

Henry Louis Wallace was born on November 4, 1965, in Barnwell, South Carolina, to Lottie Mae Wallace, a single mother. The home Wallace shared with his older sister (by three years), his mother, and his great-grandmother had no plumbing or electricity. Wallace's mother was a strict disciplinarian who had little patience for her young son. She did not get along with her mother, either, and the two argued constantly.

Despite the fact that Lottie worked long hours at a full-time job in a textile mill, the family had very little money. As Wallace outgrew out his clothing, he was given his sister's hand-me-downs to wear. When Lottie felt the children needed to be disciplined, and she was too tired to do it herself, she'd often make Wallace and his sister get a switch from the yard and whip each other.

High School and College

Despite his volatile home life, Wallace was popular at Barnwell High School. He was on the student council and. His mother would not allow him to play football, so he became a cheerleader instead. Wallace enjoyed high school and the positive feedback he received from other students, but academically his performance was less than stellar.

After graduating in 1983, he attended one semester at South Carolina State College and one semester at a technical college. At the time, Wallace worked part-time as a disc jockey, which he preferred to college. Unfortunately, his radio career was short-lived. He was fired after he was caught steali

American serial killer and rapist on death row

Henry Louis Wallace (born November 4, 1965), also known as the "Taco Bell Strangler", is an American serial killer who killed eleven black women in South Carolina and North Carolina from March 1990 to March 1994. He is currently awaiting execution at Central Prison in Raleigh.

Early life

Henry Louis Wallace was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, the son of Lottie Mae Wallace. Wallace grew up with his mother working long hours as a textile worker. She was verbally abusive, criticizing her son for even the smallest mistakes. He attended Barnwell High School, where he was elected to the student council and was a cheerleader. After he graduated in 1983, Wallace became a disc jockey for a Barnwell radio station.

Wallace went to several colleges before joining the U.S. Navy in 1985. That same year, he married his high school sweetheart, the former Maretta Brabham in 1987. In 1988, Wallace was honorably discharged from the Navy.

Early criminal career

During his time in the Navy, Wallace began using several drugs, including crack cocaine. In Washington, he was served warrants for several burglaries in and around the Seattle metro area. In January 1988, Wallace was arrested for breaking into a hardware store. That June, he pled guilty to second-degree burglary. A judge sentenced him to two years of supervised probation. According to probation officer Patrick Seaburg, Wallace did not show up for most mandatory meetings.

Murder victims

On March 8, 1990, Wallace murdered 18-year-old Tashanda Bethea, a Barnwell High School student. He then dumped her body in a lake in his hometown. It was not until several weeks later that her corpse was discovered. Wallace was questioned by the police regarding her disappearance and death but was never formally charged with her murder. H

Lewis “Lew” Wallace, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and Indiana State Senator, was appointed colonel of the 11th Indiana Infantry at the outbreak of the Civil War, and took part in many of the early campaigns of the Western Theatre.

Wallace’s first experiences of the war found him in Ulysses S. Grant’s army during the movements to take Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.  Although he saw no major combat at Fort Henry, he did prove his generalship during a counterattack at Fort Donelson, earning him a promotion to major general.

After his strong performance at Fort Donelson, Wallace faced events at the battle of Shiloh that would haunt his military career.  At the Battle of Shiloh, Grant’s army was caught off guard and forced to retreat.  He sent for reinforcements from Wallace, and as a result of unclear circumstances, Wallace marched his forces to a position, found out he was behind Confederate lines, and then marched back to meet Grant.  As a result of the losses suffered by the Union army at Shiloh, many placed blame on Wallace and he was removed from Grant’s army.

Wallace’s most important actions during the war came at the Battle of Monocacy.  During the battle, Confederate general Jubal Early threatened to move on Washington DC with a sizable force.  A force under Wallace’s command brought Early to battle, and, although Wallace was defeated, he slowed down Early’s advance enough to allow the defenses of Washington to prepare and eventually defeat Early.

Wallace went on to hold several government positions after the war, including the governorship of the New Mexico territory, and is also known for writing the book Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ.