Sharon Lavette Nance, a 32-year-old African American woman from Charlotte, North Carolina, was found dead on May 27, 1992. A native of Mecklenburg County, she had worked as a domestic worker and attended Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. At the time of her death, she lived at 1315-G Spring Street. Sharon was known to be a caring individual who enjoyed drawing and writing poetry, and she was deeply loved by her family, including her son Rasheed Nance, her mother Bertha Nance, and several
siblings.
Sharon Nance had experienced a troubled life, marked by drug use and legal issues. Police records indicated she had faced numerous charges between 1975 and 1992, including drug and weapon offenses. Despite these challenges, her family remembered her as a generous and kind-hearted person who always tried to help others. She had recently been released from prison before her death.
On the night of her murder, Sharon left her aunt’s house wearing a black dress, intending to go out with friends. Her body was discovered a week later near Rozzelle’s Ferry Road in Charlotte. She had been beaten to death and left beside railroad tracks. The brutality of the crime shocked her family and the community.
In 1994, police identified Sharon Nance as one of the victims of Henry Louis Wallace, an African American male serial killer who operated in Charlotte between 1992 and 1994. Wallace targeted young Black women, many of whom he knew personally through work or social connections. He confessed to murdering Sharon after being arrested in March 1994. According to his confession, Wallace picked up Sharon, who was known to be involved in sex work, and killed her after she demanded payment for her services. He then dumped her body near the tracks.
Henry Louis Wallace was eventually convicted of nine murders and sentenced to death. Although he confessed to killing Sharon Nance, her murder was not among the cases for which he was formally convicted. Wallace remains on death row in North Carolina. His crimes sparked widespread criticism of law enforcement’s handling of the investigation, particularly regarding the delayed recognition of a serial killer targeting Black women in Charlotte.
