Opinion ID: 1285745
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Betty Baucom Murder

Text: In March 1994, Betty Baucom lived in an apartment in Charlotte with her adopted daughter. On 9 March 1994, Baucom, an assistant manager at the Bojangles' restaurant on Central Avenue, was scheduled to work, but she did not report to work. Baucom's unit director, Jeffrey Ellis, called Baucom's apartment several times but received no answer. Ellis also talked with some of Baucom's co-workers, but no one had heard from her. Additionally, Ellis called Baucom's mother, but she had not heard from Baucom. The next morning, Ellis became increasingly worried because Baucom was again scheduled to work but did not report. Neither Baucom's mother nor Baucom's aunt had heard from Baucom. Ellis and another employee drove to Baucom's apartment to check on her. They knocked on the door and looked in the windows, and everything appeared normal. Ellis then called Baucom's mother again. Ellis and Baucom's mother decided to contact the police department, and they reported Baucom as a missing person. Officer Gregory Norwood of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department received a call on the morning of 10 March 1994 to respond to an apartment where a young woman had been found. She was not breathing. Maintenance personnel let Norwood into the apartment. Norwood discovered Baucom's body lying facedown on her bed with a towel around her neck. Approximately an hour after Ellis called police, an officer approached Ellis in the parking lot of the Bojangles' restaurant and told him they had found Baucom's body. Dr. Sullivan performed an autopsy on Baucom's body on 11 March 1994. He observed blunt-trauma injuries and evidence of strangulation, including a ligature in place around her neck. The ligature consisted of a small sheet or pillowcase in a knot with an additional towel wrapped between the skin of the neck and the sheet. Dr. Sullivan observed small abrasions and small contusions of the skin of the neck beneath the ligature and small hemorrhages in the conjunctiva. Additionally, Dr. Sullivan observed abrasions over the left shoulder, both arms, the right upper chest, and the abdomen, and a blunt-trauma injury to the head with an area of abrasion over the right forehead. During the internal examination, Dr. Sullivan observed a buildup of blood in the lungs, enlargement of the brain, small hemorrhages in the muscles in the front of the neck, and small hemorrhages in the lining of the voice box. He testified that the injuries observed were consistent with a struggle. Dr. Sullivan opined that the cause of Baucom's death was strangulation. Defendant confessed that he went to Baucom's apartment and told her he needed to use the phone. Baucom let defendant into her apartment. They talked for a while. As defendant was getting ready to leave, he placed a choke hold on Baucom, and she fell to the floor. Defendant told her this was a robbery and demanded the alarm code, keys, and combination to the safe for the Bojangles' restaurant where Baucom was the manager. Baucom was very upset, and she took approximately thirty minutes to produce the safe's combination. Defendant then released the choke hold. Defendant remembered Baucom asking, Why did you do that to me? Defendant responded that he was a sick person and that he had hurt many people. Baucom then embraced defendant, said that she forgave him, and told him he needed help. Defendant stated he then became enraged and grabbed Baucom by the throat, slammed her to the floor, and then scuffled with her. Defendant got Baucom to her feet and took her into the bedroom, where he told her to remove her clothes. Baucom told defendant she did not want to remove her clothes because she had a medical problem. She then showed defendant a rash, which defendant stated looked like an ordinary rash. Defendant then told Baucom he wanted her to perform oral sex on him. She grabbed his penis and started pulling and scratching. Defendant and Baucom began to scuffle again, and defendant sustained a bite on his shoulder and scratches on his abdomen. Defendant was able to tighten the towel around Baucom's neck until she was nearly unconscious. At this point, Baucom removed her clothes and engaged in sexual intercourse with defendant. Afterwards, defendant told Baucom to put her clothes back on. He then placed a towel around her neck and asked her if she had any money. Baucom gave defendant the money in her purse, and he took a gold chain from around her neck. After strangling Baucom to death, defendant took her television and left in her car. Defendant sold the television for drugs. He then returned to Baucom's apartment to make sure Baucom was dead and to take her VCR. While in Baucom's apartment, defendant used a wet cloth to wipe off the phone, door knobs, and the wall on which some of the struggle took place. Defendant used money from Baucom's purse, the gold chain, and the VCR to purchase more drugs. Defendant kept Baucom's car almost two days. Defendant then left the car in a parking lot, because he thought police officers were following him. Defendant stated that he wiped the interior and most of the exterior of the car, but forgot to wipe the trunk lid.