DaJuan Evans, a 24-year-old Ohio resident, has been handed a 15-year prison sentence for the unprovoked murder of a grandmother who was out walking her dog in a park near her residence. The victim, Sheila Wallace, 58, was killed in January 2019, as announced by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. Evans pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and firearm offenses.
Wallace was on her usual evening stroll with her small dog at McGowan Park when the tragic incident occurred. Evans and another man were also in the park that night and crossed paths with Wallace. According to prosecutors, Evans halted, turned, and fired four shots, two of which hit Wallace, one in the head and another in the chest. Following the shooting, Evans and his companion fled the scene.
Wallace was discovered by local residents, with her black and white dog, Winston, cowering beside her. The police were promptly alerted. The incident left Wallace’s family devastated. Her daughter, Katie Wallace, expressed her grief in an interview with local ABC affiliate WEWS in August 2019, stating that her mother was shot in the face and killed for no apparent reason.
In the aftermath of the murder, a reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the culprits. Richard McIntosh from Cuyahoga County Crime Stoppers emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the individuals involved in the killing were still at large and posed a potential threat to others.
Evans was apprehended in May 2023 in connection with Wallace’s murder. The second man involved in the incident was not charged, as reported by Cleveland.com. At the time of his arrest, Evans was already serving a five-year sentence for robbery in state prison. Prosecutors linked Evans to the murder through DNA evidence found on a gun used in a shooting that occurred several months after Wallace’s death. The gun, a Glock pistol, was handed over to the authorities by a good Samaritan.
Wallace, an executive medical secretary at the Cleveland Clinic, is survived by two grandchildren. Her family had been waiting for over five years for answers regarding her tragic death. Prosecutor O’Malley expressed gratitude to the Cleveland Homicide Initiative for their relentless efforts in solving the case.