CLEVELAND — A 22-year-old man has been indicted on multiple charges by a Cuyahoga County grand jury in connection with the 2019 murder of 58-year-old Sheila Wallace in Cleveland.
DaJuan Evans -- who was 18 at the time of the murder -- faces the following charges:
- One count of aggravated murder
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of felonious assault
Bond was set at $1 million as Evans appeared in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for an arraignment hearing on Friday morning.
The case was assigned to Judge Nancy Margaret Russo with a pretrial court date yet to be determined.
Wallace's daughter briefly spoke to the judge to request a high bond, saying she feels "Evans is a danger to society."
The case dates back to Jan. 17, 2019, when Wallace was walking her small dog in McGowan Park around 7 p.m. as part of her normal routine.
Authorities say Evans and another male had crossed paths with her.
"Evans stopped, turned around and fired four shots,” according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. “One shot struck the victim in the head, one shot struck the victim in the chest and the two additional shots missed the victim. Evans and the additional male then fled the scene. Soon after, residents discovered the victim and called the police.”
Wallace was pronounced dead at the scene. The gun had not been located.
Then, nearly three months later on April 3, the prosecutor’s office says there was an unrelated shooting near West 48th Street and Storer Avenue in Cleveland.
Watch our previous coverage of this case with 3News' Emma Henderson reporting:
“That gun was later linked through a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) lead to the McGowan Park murder,” the prosecutor’s office explains. “Further investigation linked DaJuan Evans to the firearm used in the Wallace homicide.”
The prosecutor’s office says DNA evidence, a NIBIN lead, witness testimony and video evidence linked Evans to the crime.
“Sheila Wallace was not and will not be forgotten. Her horrendous murder shook the Bellaire-Puritas community to the core and my thoughts and prayers remain with the victim’s family,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said Tuesday morning. “I want to personally thank the members of the Cleveland Homicide Initiative, which includes staff from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit, the Cleveland Office of the FBI, and BCI. I would also like to thank the Cleveland Office of the ATF and the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensics Science Laboratory. These agencies tirelessly worked to solve this case for the victim and her family. Without the continuous hardworking members of law enforcement, today would not be possible.”
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story connected to this case on Jan. 27, 2020.