Henry Louis Wallace - The Aftermath and Criticism

The Aftermath and Criticism

Charlotte's police chief congratulated Wallace's arrest, reassuring the community that the women of East Charlotte were safe. However, many in the area's black community criticized the police's conduct during the investigation, accusing them of neglecting the murders of black women. As Shawna Denise Hawk's mother, Dee Sumpter, said:

"The victims weren't prominent people with social-economic status. They weren't special. And they were black."

Charlotte's police chief, Dennis Nowicki, had said he was not aware of a killer until early March 1994, when three young black women were murdered within four days of each other. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department apologized to its residents for not spotting a link among the murders sooner. However, they said the murder cases varied enough to throw them off Wallace's trail. Until Wallace's murder pace picked up in the early weeks of March 1994, the deaths were sporadic and not entirely similar. It was only in the week of March 9, 1994 that Charlotte Police warned the people in East Charlotte that there was a serial killer on the loose.

One young lady said that the police did not care because the police viewed the young female murder victims as "fast girls who hang out a lot". The victims were described by both the press and family members as pretty, hardworking, and serious young women, however. Others said the reason why the police did not take the murder cases serious because the women were both working class and black.