Excerpt from SURVIVING THE DEATH PENALTY............Evansville woke to front-page news in the Courier, "POLICE CAPTURE "PRIME SUSPECT" IN MURDER OF YOUNG FAMILY OF 4". County police had arrested Donald Ray Wallace Jr. at 11:30 PM following an intensive manhunt.

A local basketball coach, had been walking his dog on his normal late evening walk. He noticed a long haired man fitting the same description as that of the individual being sought by Police. The man in question had walked directly under a streetlight at the corner across the street from Mr. Ashworth providing him with a clear view of his face. The coach noted the time on a bank sign up the street as 11:00 PM. More than a bit frightened, he quickly walked to the safety of his home and kept watch as Donald Ray Wallace Jr. walked along the street.

He observed Wallace climb a tall pole in front of the house across the street. Wallace then was able to jump to the house’s porch roof. The roof provided access to a second floor window. The coach then watched as Wallace worked on the second floor window. After opening the window, Donald Ray Wallace Jr. climbed in through the window and into the house. The coach immediately picked up the phone and dialed the police.

The news of the brutal murders of four innocent people had the entire community on edge and the extensive media coverage put the community on notice that a killer was still at large. Even though Wallace had disguised his appearance, with black dyed hair and black bushy mustache, the coach was able to get a very good look at his face in the streetlight. A face that could be identified easily in spite of the poor disguise. A frightening, scary face that with one look from the newspaper photos would remain indelible in your brain.

Minutes later the house was completely surrounded by County police. They were able to rouse the owner, an elderly lady who was totally unaware someone had broken into the second floor of her home. The police had their weapons in hand, anticipating a possible gunfight.

As they called out, announcing their presence, there was a palpable silence in the home, a tension that anticipated that this sighting might or might not prove accurate. They climbed the stairs, guns extended in both hands. Waiting for the inevitable shoot out.
The police called out again and this time Wallace responded, "I don't have a gun". Even with this response, the officers were doubting the words.

Wallace with hands held high in the air, made sure the police knew he held no weapons. . He told the police he was not Wallace and mentioned some other name. He still gave no resistance to the arrest. There was no gunfight and Wallace surprisingly surrendered to the police with no fight. He was found in the second floor attic, used by the woman to store old furniture and junk. Wallace had hidden himself away and was listening to a police scanner that was set on the band to pick up all the city police calls. Wallace was quite surprised when the county police closed in on his attic hideaway.

Donald Ray Wallace Jr.’s long shoulder length bleach blonde hair and mustache had a sharply contrasted jet black color that had been dyed to disguise his appearance. He indeed looked sinister and looked the part of a mass murderer. Quite a difference from the bleach blonde as in most of his previous mug shots. The police saw through this obvious attempt at disguise. Wallace was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Later reports over the ensuing years would often mention Wallace's intelligence, noting that he supposedly had a near genius I.Q. The irony of those observations, would be brought to light by the prosecuting attorney who observed that Wallace was possibly,” not an intelligent criminal for someone with an almost genius IQ.” Wallace had been listening to the city police band in the attic of that home as the county police were surrounding and entering the house. He was totally unaware that he was just moments away from capture.

Excerpt from SURVIVING THE DEATH PENALTY...
by Diana Harrington