Quincy Allen
Quincy Jovan Allen (born November 7, 1979)[1] is an American serial killer who killed four people between July and August in a crime spree in 2002.[2] He was sentenced to death for his crimes in South Carolina, and is currently awaiting execution.[3]
Quincy Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Quincy Jovan Allen November 7, 1979 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names | "Weird Man" "Serial Killer" |
| Conviction(s) | South Carolina Murder (2 counts) North Carolina First degree murder (2 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | South Carolina Death North Carolina Life without parole |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | July – August 2002 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | South Carolina and North Carolina |
Date apprehended | August 14, 2002 |
| Imprisoned at | Broad River Correctional Institution |
Crimes
Allen was inspired to begin his crime spree during his time in federal prison for stealing a vehicle. While incarcerated, a fellow inmate told him that he could get him a job as a Mafia hitman.[3][4] When he was released, Allen decided to buy a shotgun and begin practicing for his promised career.
Timeline of events
- July 7, 2002: Allen, in order to practice using his shotgun, decided to attack 51-year-old homeless man James White at a bench in Finlay Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The sleeping White was shot twice, but survived the attack.[3][4]
- July 10, 2002: Allen killed 45-year-old Dale Evonne Hall (or Hale) near a Columbia I-77 stop using his sawed-off shotgun. Hall was shot in the head, face, leg, and stomach area. Allen then drove to a nearby truck stop, bought a can of gasoline and returned to the body, dousing it and then subsequently burning it.[4]
- August 8, 2002: After a confrontation with Texas Roadhouse employee Brian Marquis, Allen fatally shot 22-year-old Jedediah "Jed" Harr, a friend of Marquis who tried to intervene.[3] Soon after the scuffle, he chased after Marquis to his house, setting the porch on fire.
- August 9, 2002: Allen set fire to the car of another Texas Roadhouse employee, before randomly selecting and subsequently burning another a few minutes later.
- August 12, 2002: While robbing a Citgo gasoline station in Dobson, North Carolina, Allen fatally shot 53-year-old Richard Calvin Hawks from Lowgap, North Carolina and 29-year-old Robert Shane Roush from Lancaster, Ohio.
- August 14, 2002: Allen was arrested while sleeping in an abandoned car in Mitchell County, Texas.[2]
Death row stabbing
On the morning of December 2, 2009, Allen, along with fellow death row inmate Mikal Deen Mahdi (born March 20, 1983),[1] planned to attack and kill a correctional officer while in the Lieber Correctional Institution. After making shivs using metal they stripped from air ducts, the duo asked the correctional officer Nathan Sasser if they could go visit the basketball court. After escorting them there, they attacked Sasser, stabbing him multiple times.[2] He managed to resist and fought them off despite his heavy injuries.[3][5]
Allen and Mahdi then attempted to jump the fence, but after they were unable to escape, they began tearing up the common area. Even after the guards used tear gas on them, they still refused to back down, eventually, rubber bullets were used to subdue the pair.[6]
Following this incident, both were stripped of their privileges (outside recreation, visitation, phone use, and canteen items) and in 2017, both were transferred along with all other South Carolina death row inmates to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia. Sasser was later let go from his post, as he had developed PTSD and had begun suffering from anxiety attacks. All assault charges from him were later dropped by the prosecutors, who said that there was no point, as both prisoners were already sentenced to death.[6]
Trials
After pleading guilty to the killings, Allen was sentenced to death and scheduled to be executed on January 8, 2010.[2][7] However, a stay of execution was filed by his attorneys hours after the verdict was announced, with the South Carolina Supreme Court accepting the motion. A new date has not been announced, and Allen is still awaiting execution.[8] Allen’s death sentence was overturned by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on July 26, 2022.
References
- "South Carolina Department of Corrections" (PDF). doc.sc.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2016.
- Cox, Bryan (17 December 2009). "Quincy Allen execution date set". WACH.
- "S. C. officer stabbed multiple times by 2 death row inmates". Corrections1. 3 December 2009.
- Monk, John (16 November 2009). "Death sentence upheld for Mafia wannabe". The State.
- Phillips, Noelle (3 December 2009). "Death Row inmates stab prison guard". The State.
- Smith, Glenn (27 July 2013). "Assaulted Lieber prison guard loses job Corrections officer stabbed 14 times, unable to work due to PTSD". The Post and Courier.
- Phillips, Noelle (18 December 2009). "Murdered scheduled for execution January 8". The State.
- Faye, Jackie (5 January 2010). "Stay of execution ordered in Quincy Allen case". WIS.