Leslie Wallace

Overview

Leslie Wallace fatally shot her 6-year-old son, James, with a shotgun and attempted to kill two other sons in a rampage. She later pleaded no-contest and was sentenced to life in prison.

Timeline

• Sept. 2, 2001 — Leslie Wallace killed her 6-year-old son James with a shotgun blast while he watched cartoons at the family’s North Fort Myers home; she then went to a church where her 16-year-old son Kenny was attending services and fired at him.
• Sept. 2, 2001 — Wallace attempted to pursue her 19-year-old son Gregory at a restaurant where he was working; she was then stopped by sheriff’s deputies on the Fort Myers side of the Caloosahatchee Bridge after fleeing in her car.
• Dec. 8, 2003 — Leslie Wallace pleaded no-contest and was sentenced to life in prison.

The offence

Leslie Ann Wallace shot her 6-year-old son James while he was watching cartoons at the family’s North Fort Myers home. Investigators said Wallace then went to the church where her 16-year-old son Kenny was attending services and fired at him. Police said the shotgun blast struck a Bible in Kenny’s pocket and spared him serious injury.

Investigators said a third son, Gregory Wallace, 19, was not injured although detectives said Wallace’s armed mother tried to get him to come out of a restaurant where he was working. Police stopped her by shooting her six times.

Wallace made a 911 call describing the shooting. In the call, she said she had shot her son and that she had tried to shoot her 16-year-old son but he got away. She also said she regretted that she missed her 16-year-old.

Investigation

Investigators said Wallace was upset with her mother-in-law’s complaints about her sons and thought the only way out was to kill them.

Officials described that Wallace had psychiatric problems and had been taking medication for bipolar disorder. An insanity offense had been considered, but reports from court-appointed doctors differed about her mental state, and it was considered too risky to take that defense to trial.

Investigators considered charges including first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, several counts of aggravated assault, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Wallace’s mental condition was described in reports as bipolar and manic depressive, and she was said to have had been taking medication for years prior to the shooting. She was also described as an ex-Marine and as having once been institutionalized after trying to kill herself.

The documents released included details about Wallace’s history and mental state, including references to witchcraft and written entries.

Arrest and police encounter

Deputies captured Wallace in a shootout after she fled from outside the restaurant. She stopped, got out of her car, and fired once at deputies chasing her. Deputies returned fire, wounding her five times, and she was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital.

During the shooting on the Caloosahatchee Bridge, another deputy blocked the road, forcing Wallace to stop. When she got out of her car she aimed the shotgun toward the line of deputies behind her and fired. Deputy Chuck Taggart fired back, shooting six rounds, five of which hit Wallace on her left side, knocking her to the ground. Wallace fired another shot, a witness said, and deputies kicked the gun away from her and handcuffed her.

After she was hospitalized, it was stated that once she was dismissed she would be charged accordingly.

Trial

Wallace pleaded no-contest to first-degree murder, attempted murder, and eight other felony counts stemming from the Sept. 2, 2001, rampage.

Sentencing

On Dec. 8, 2003, Leslie Wallace was sentenced to life in prison. The plea allowed her to avoid the possibility of the death penalty.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Leslie Wallace pleaded no-contest and received a life prison sentence on Dec. 8, 2003.

Aftermath

Bill Wallace, her estranged husband, was described as dealing with grief and grief-related anniversaries following James’ death. Kenny Wallace was described as having his life spared when the shotgun blast was stopped by his Bible, and he was described as wanting nothing to do with his mother.

Gregory Wallace was described as having escaped the shooting rampage by locking himself inside a Pizza Hut.

Funeral arrangements were made by Bill Wallace and Steve Rogers, pastor of New Wine Ministries, and North Fort Myers Memorial Funeral Home handled arrangements without charging for funeral expenses.

Wallace was described as being in Lee County Jail awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge prior to her plea. Her next appearance in court was stated as Jan. 21, and it was stated the case was not expected to go to trial then because she was still being examined by psychologists.

People and roles

• Leslie Ann Wallace (Leslie Wallace) — defendant; mother of James, Kenny, and Gregory; U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
• James “Buggy” Wallace — victim; 6-year-old; shot by Leslie Wallace.
• Kenny Wallace (Kenneth) — victim; 16-year-old; life was spared when a Bible stopped the blast.
• Gregory Wallace (Greg, Gregory) — victim; 19-year-old; not injured.
• Bill Wallace (William Wallace) — estranged husband and father of James, Kenny, and Gregory.
• Robert Harris — attorney for Leslie Wallace.
• Tony Schall — state attorney’s office spokesman.
• Steve Rogers — pastor of New Wine Ministries.
• Sheriff’s Captain Richard Chard — Lee County Sheriff’s Captain quoted about mental health issues and the 911 call.
• Deputy Chuck Taggart — deputy who fired back during the bridge encounter.
• Principal Don Bryant — principal of Tropic Isles Elementary School; quoted about James.
• Kathy McCann — quoted about not understanding how someone could take it out on her child.
• Chuck Bell — director of student services for Lee County schools; quoted about students’ understanding.
• Lisa Cowels — teaching assistant; quoted about pre-kindergarten students.

Key quotes (verbatim)

"This was really Leslie's decision," Harris said of the plea deal. "She really didn't want to put her family through a trial. She wanted to do this as painlessly as possible for them."

"I just shot a 6-year-old boy at 1461 Maranatha Drive North Fort Myers. He's probably dead by now," she told the 911 operator, according to a transcript released by police.

"I am his mother and I shot him."

"I just regret that I missed my 16-year-old."

"I just shot a 6-year-old boy at 1461 Maranatha Drive North Fort Myers. He's probably dead by now."

“We’ve been living with her since February and that’s all I’ve heard her bitch about was the kids, the kids, the kids, the kids,’’ she told the dispatcher Sunday during her 45-minute shooting spree.

“My kids couldn’t play basketball. My 6-year-old couldn’t even play with his toys because it bothered her.”

“To end their misery, Wallace told authorities she killed James and intended to kill her 16- and 19-year-old sons, before dying herself.”

"God intervened and saved Kenny’s life," Rogers said.

"This is every person's nightmare. It's her husband's nightmare, the grandmother; It's our nightmare," Lee County Lee County Sheriff Shoap told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today.

"Very cold, heartless, very nonconcerning, very matter-of-fact," Chard said.

"There is no doubt in my mind, she knew what she was doing the entire time."

"Once she is dismissed, she will be charged accordingly," Chard said.

“James asked to go with his dad,” Rogers said. “But Bill said no.”

"I don’t understand. I don’t understand how anyone can take it out on her child," said Kathy McCann as she picked up her second-grader.

“I just shot a 6-year-old boy at 1461 Maranatha Drive, North Fort Myers,” she told the dispatcher when asked what her emergency was. “He’s probably dead by now.”

"We do know this morning that there is some mental health issue here," Shoap said.

"I go on breathing every day; I put one foot in front of the other," he said, tired with endless, unanswerable questions.

“I want nothing more than to hold James — but I don’t want to sound suicidal because I’m not. I won’t give in to it. I have my boys to think about and I believe I won’t get to see James again if I did something like that."

“Yeah, I a blame myself. I stood my wife up, gave her and [a] hug and said, ‘You want to go?’ Bill Wallace said.

“She said, ‘No, I have something to do.’ I didn’t know she meant kill my son.”

"The only thing I can tell you is there is a history of mental illness," Harris said. "We’ll be looking into that."

“We’re aware of Mrs. Wallace’s history,” state attorney’s office spokesman Tony Schall said. “The issue is not of mental illness but of legal insanity. That’s still to be determined.”

911 transcript (verbatim)

911: 911, what is your emergency? Wallace: I just shot a 6-year-old boy at 1461 Maranatha Drive North Fort Myers. He’s probably dead by now. 911 dispatcher: 1460 what ma’am? Wallace: Maranatha. (She spells it out) M-A-R-A-N-A-T-H-A. 911 dispatcher: Stay on the line and I’ll connect you ma’am. Ambulance and fire dispatcher: Ambulance and fire, can I help you? Wallace: You better get a rescue unit over to 1461 Maranatha. That’s M-A-R-A-N-H-A (sic) Drive. It’s off Oakley. Ambulance and fire dispatcher: What’s going on there ma’am? Wallace: You’ll find the body of a 6-year-old that’s probably had half its chest blown off by a 16-gauge. Ambulance and fire dispatcher: OK. How old was the child? 6-year-old. A little boy, a little girl? Wallace: Boy. If they come in. If the rescue unit goes through the carport, into the one door it’s unlocked. They go through the kitchen and into the Florida room. Ambulance and fire dispatcher: OK, how did this happen? Do you know? Wallace: I shot him. Ambulance and fire dispatcher: OK, you shot him? Wallace: I am his mother and I shot him. Law enforcement, do you have any special requests? Sheriff’s dispatcher: Ma’am, where are you at? Wallace: I’m at Pizza Hut on North Cleveland. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Pizza Hut. Wallace: Yes. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Where did you shoot him at ma’am? Wallace: We were sitting in the Florida room and I shot him with a 16-gauge just to the right of the heart. Sheriff’s dispatcher: OK. What street is this off of ma’am? Wallace: The house? Sheriff’s dispatcher: Yes. Wallace: Oakley. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Is there anybody there with him? Wallace: Nope. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Ma’am, your child is at Maranatha Drive? Wallace: Yes he is. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Ma’am, why did this happen? Wallace: Because my husband moved me and my three boys in with my mother-in-law and she’s been nothing but hell. All she’s done is bitch about the boys since the day we moved in. Sheriff’s dispatcher: And is there anybody there with the son right now? Wallace: No, there’s not. I left because I went to go and try to shoot my 16-year-old, but he got away. Sheriff’s dispatcher: And where’s your mother at? Wallace: My mother-in-law is at Lee Memorial Hospital getting blood drawn. With the boy’s father. Sheriff’s dispatcher: And you did this because your mother-in-law complained about the kids? Wallace: Yes, we’ve been living with her since February and that’s all I’ve heard her bitch about was the kids, the kids, the kids, the kids. My kids couldn’t play basketball. My 6-year-old couldn’t even play with his toys because it bothered her. I got to go now, I see a deputy. Sheriff’s dispatcher: Ma’am. (Silence)