Popular mythology perpetuates the belief that serial killers are predominantly white. This stereotype is reinforced by media portrayals that primarily focus on white serial killers, further strengthening the myth. Surprisingly, during my research on BAD HENRY, I discovered a notable absence of comparative titles that explored the phenomenon of Black serial killers. There was not a single publication available on this subject.
In reality, serial killers include members of all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. and mirror the overall U.S. population. African-Americans comprise the largest racial minority group among serial killers, representing approximately 20 percent. Significantly, however, only white and normally male serial killers such as Ted Bundy become prominent in popular culture.
Yet, there are well-documented cases of African-American serial killers. For starters, Samuel Little killed approximately 93 people across 19 states between 1970 and 2005. Chester Turner was convicted of 10 murders in 2007, between 1987 and 1998. Lorenzo Gilyard is suspected of raping and strangling 13 women in Missouri between 1977 and 1993. And then, of course, there is Henry Louis Wallace, convicted in 1997 of killing nine women. Yet, few (if any) have been the subject of case studies or the focus of movies. I could find no comparative titles.
As I noted in my book, Joseph Cottrell, in his book, The Rise of the Black Serial Killers, documents a startling trend, in effect destroying the myth that serial killers in America are predominately white. He shows through extensive research that the number of black serial killers is equal to or greater than the number of white serial killers from 1860 to the present.
According to Cottrell’s painstaking research, black serial killers have never represented less than 30.23 percent of the number of serial killers in a given decade, despite their overall percentage of the population never exceeding 13.1 percent. This trend has steadily increased to the point that in our current decade, they represent 77.27 percent of the number of serial killers apprehended since 2010, yet only account for 12.6 percent of the populace.
Yet, law enforcement agencies might be less likely to seek or find evidence of serial murder activity where the victims are black. As homicide is primarily an intra-racial crime, this would then mean that black serial killers would be far more likely to escape detection.
In researching this book, I found references that indicated Wallace was inundated with requests to cooperate on films and books about his case. Yet nothing happened until two decades later when a couple of documentaries were done. And now, after 25 years after Wallace’s conviction, my book will appear.
Unveil the horrifying psyche of this African American serial killer as he preyed upon vulnerable Black women. Discover his crimes' shocking twists and turns, fueled by drug abuse and a deep-seated rage against women.
