CLEVELAND (WJW) — The murder of a Cleveland woman four and a half years ago as she walked her dog in a neighborhood park frightened and angered many people, and authorities have now identified a suspect in the slaying of Sheila Wallace.
It was on Jan. 17, 2019 that the 58-year-old Wallace was walking her dog in McGowan Park, and was shot and killed by one of two young men that she just happened to cross paths with in the park.
Investigators say Wallace was shot in the head and the chest, but police could find no motive for the slaying.
The brutal crime sent shockwaves through her westside neighborhood, and left a hole in the hearts of her grieving family.
The victim’s daughter Katie Wallace wept as she told FOX 8, “I just miss her. I’ll always miss her. It’s been horrible, you know, just not knowing why, not knowing who, not knowing anything, just knowing that our mom, the beautiful light in our life is gone.”
After an exhaustive investigation into Sheila Wallace’s murder, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI revealed on Wednesday that 22-year-old DaJuan Evans has been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault.
Evans, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was picked up by authorities earlier this week at the state prison in Mansfield, where he is already serving time on a robbery conviction, in connection with a 2019 carjacking.
When asked about the indictment of the suspect in her mother’s murder, Katie Wallace told us: “I can’t be as mean as I wish I could be because I’m not that kind of person, but I just want to know why, like, why would you do that, what was the point?”
Investigators say the first major break in the case came in April 2019, when the same gun that was used to kill Sheila Wallace was used in a shooting in Cleveland’s Stockyards neighborhood.
A police officer witnessed the shooting and during a pursuit that ended in a crash near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the suspect threw the gun out of the window of a stolen pickup truck.
The Glock 9mm was later found by a good Samaritan, who turned the weapon into police. The very latest in ballistics testing by federal authorities linked the gun to the murder of Sheila Wallace, and on the murder weapon, investigators say they discovered the DNA of Evans and the friend to whom he had given the gun after the Wallace slaying.
“There’s so many pieces that went into this indictment, but to the good Samaritan who found the weapon and turned it over to the Second District officers, thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley.
Those who loved Sheila Wallace feel a higher power played a role in finally identifying her killer.
“I feel like my Mom had her hand in it too, like she wanted us to have justice for her and I feel like maybe that God works in mysterious ways,” said Katie Wallace.
Prosecutors say if Evans is convicted of aggravated murder, he could face life in prison. Evans is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
