In the early morning hours of March 27, 2021, a tragedy unfolded in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, that would claim the life of 15-year-old Dominic Pullum. The young male was discovered by police around 3:45 a.m., lying face down in the carport of his own home. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his back, a detail that would become a crucial element in the ensuing investigation.
His mother, 34-year-old Gwendolyn Spencer, was on the scene and initially presented herself as a frantic parent who had made a horrific discovery.
According to Spencer's account to the police, she had returned home around 3:00 a.m. to the sound of her son faintly calling out for her. She claimed to have found Dominic in the laundry room before he collapsed. In a state of apparent panic, she told authorities she unsuccessfully sought help from a neighbor before driving to a friend's house in the Dollarway area. All the while, her two other sons were reportedly asleep inside the residence. Spencer was adamant that there were no firearms in the house and denied having discharged one herself.
However, as investigators delved deeper into the case, Spencer's story began to unravel. Police decided to search the route she claimed to have taken to her friend's house. Along this path, they discovered a 9mm handgun. Ballistics testing confirmed that this was the weapon used to end Dominic's life, as it matched a shell casing found in the laundry room of Spencer's home—the very place she claimed to have found her son. This pivotal discovery cast a dark shadow of suspicion on Spencer.
On April 15, 2021, the investigation culminated in the arrest of Gwendolyn Spencer. She was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her son, Dominic Pullum. Further examination of court records painted a troubling picture of Spencer's past, revealing a history of legal issues. In 2016, her own mother had sought her involuntary commitment, expressing concerns about her erratic behavior and her fitness as a parent. Spencer had also faced prior charges of aggravated assault and first-degree battery and was accused in 2017 of striking a juvenile with her vehicle. If convicted of her son's murder, she faced a potential prison sentence of 10 to 40 years.
