"Debbie" (NC Woman Shotgunned in Face) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Huskerz85 · 01-15-2008, 05:02 PM

After watching this one case.....I've gone 'googling' as I sometimes do, but can't come up with anything. I did find a two and a half yr old thread on here concerning the case......but it didn't reveal any leads/updates. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I just wanted to bring it up again in the hopes maybe something new will be revealed.

The Case:

On the morning of March 22, 1990, "Debbie" withdrew a large sum of money from a bank in Winston-Salem, NC. As she was getting into her car and preparing to leave, she was violently accosted by a black male who forced his way into her car and forced her to drive to a liquor store 3 miles away.

After buying some whiskey, the man forced her to drive out of town towards Fayetteville. Then after driving for over four hours, he forced her to pull off the road about 3-4 miles north of Fayetteville. He drug her into the woods, she managed to break free and a brief chase ensued. After being overtaken, she was savagely beaten, raped and basically left for dead. The man's final chilling act involved shooting her in the face at point blank range with a 12-gauge double barreled shotgun.

I'm really hoping this isn't one of those cases that just fades to black w/o ever getting solved.....the physical evidence left behind keeps my hopes up a tad bit, esp. with technology today......but still, this is one of those ones you just wish there was a resolution too.

crystaldawn · 01-15-2008, 07:11 PM

Yes I wish we could find out if anyone was ever arrested. I wouldn't be suprised if there hadn't been one, it seems like the guy could have been a drifter. Its also tough to try and research online since they never gave her real name (of course I can understand why she wouldn't want it revealed).

lilmissd · 01-20-2008, 02:14 PM

Yes, I remember this case well. I think that he had seen her before she went into the bank, and waited for her to come out. Do you know if he stole the money she withdrew? I am assuming that he stole her car to get out of the area. The shooting was so sensless; I mean the guy had what he wanted, and in the condition she was in didn't pose much of a threat and shooting her was like rubbing salt in the wound, so to speak. This guy was going for the "overkill" method, and was probably high on drugs especially if he was a drifter or homeless. It's such as shame that someone has gotten away with this heinous crime all these years, and I hope someday that he'll be caught. What scares me is, that he got away with it once and that he has done/or will do it again to someone else, and this time he'll kill them!

Huskerz85 · 01-21-2008, 04:07 AM

From what I got out of the segment, he didn't take her money.....she must've put that away before she got to her car or right before he jumped in it.....

I'd venture to put money on the chance that the perp is either dead or rotting away in some other prison (in another state maybe?) for some other crime........

One can only hope though......

Thinman · 01-21-2008, 08:53 AM

This was truly one of the most horrifying UM segments I ever saw. This one scared the bejeezus out of me.

crystaldawn · 01-21-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thinman

This was truly one of the most horrifying UM segments I ever saw. This one scared the bejeezus out of me.

I totally agree! When they distort the attackers voice as he's chasing her through the woods and he keeps saying "you ain't going nowhere"...

kadrmas15 · 01-21-2008, 09:16 AM

Well, what is also scary is, depending on what NC law is, they might have given up, since if he was caught, the charges would presumably be, car jacking, kidnapping, sexual assault, attempted murder, the statute of limitations might have expired on all of this so even if they caught the guy he might have got up scot-free.

I would say this guy is or has been in the system somewhere, they still have the DNA profile somewhere I am sure, run it through the nationwide database, see what happens, I am willing to bet it would probably come up that there is a match, to at least other crimes if not to a suspect. But maybe NC doesnt have a statute of limitations? I know Virginia doesnt have a statute of limitations on any felony crime.

Well, I bet that one trooper felt bad, knowing he could have potentially caught the guy, had he checked out the car like he was going to but then that speeder came by and he went after the speeder because he figured "Debbie's" car was probably just abandoned and was lower priority. They found the car in north Florida so that tells me this guy gets around despite the fact that he is probably a drifter, I am guessing his claim of having killed a man in New York is true, in my opinion he had killed and raped before and has killed and raped since Debbie, this wasnt this guy's first attempted murder and rape.

Only by the grace of the good lord did Debbie survive, I am still amazed she survived that and actually could get up and stumble a rather lengthy distance out of the woods to where the troopers were. That is good luck for her they were there when she needed them, but to survive a point blank range shot anywhere on your body let alone to the face with a shot gun, just amazing.

Drakken · 01-21-2008, 11:55 AM

Yes, but the perp stole Debbie's vehicle and crossed several state borders all the way to Florida, which is a federal crime. Wouldn't that immediately bring the FBI in the investigation, thus nullifying any statute of limitation?

kadrmas15 · 01-21-2008, 02:24 PM

Well, they couldnt charge him with the stuff that happened in NC because he didnt cross state lines. The only time he crossed state lines was after he stole the car so all they could do is charge him with driving a stolen car across state lines, there is no federal statute for attempted murder, so I guess the most they could charge him with is maybe potentially, they could charge him with violating Debbie's civil rights which would get him a 10 year federal prison sentence.

unsolved88 · 11-17-2009, 06:13 PM

After searching Google news archives, I found a preview of an an article (you have to pay to read the full article) from the Fayetteville Observer newspaper dated 3/27/90 explaining that the victim was in critical condition. "Debbie's" real name is Phoebe Harrison Cooper and she was 43 at the time of the attack.

Necco · 11-17-2009, 06:56 PM

I'm not sure this information should be posted.

everybodylovesrs · 11-17-2009, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necco

I'm not sure this information should be posted.

It was in a thing you might have heard of called a "newspaper". Thus , it is public record. It has been public record since 1990.

Necco · 11-17-2009, 09:12 PM

I realize it was in the newspaper and I wasn't attacking the poster, I was just musing whether or not it was fair to the victim to post it after she opted to hide her identity in the broadcast. I often wonder about the people involved in Unsolved Mysteries (the early years) and if they would have gotten involved if they realized their lives (and dated hairstyles) would still be discussed 20 years later.

everybodylovesrs · 11-17-2009, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necco

I realize it was in the newspaper and I wasn't attacking the poster, I was just musing whether or not it was fair to the victim to post it after she opted to hide her identity in the broadcast. I often wonder about the people involved in Unsolved Mysteries (the early years) and if they would have gotten involved if they realized their lives (and dated hairstyles) would still be discussed 20 years later.

Then she should have told the newspaper to withhold her identity as well.

Cori aka ChrisSCrush · 11-18-2009, 01:56 AM

Unless there's another person of the same name in the same state, her class reunion picture from last year is online: http://thsclassof1966.com/index_files/Page1151.html

01-15-2008, 05:02 PM	#1
Huskerz85 Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2006 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 127	"Debbie" (NC Woman Shotgunned in Face) After watching this one case.....I've gone 'googling' as I sometimes do, but can't come up with anything. I did find a two and a half yr old thread on here concerning the case......but it didn't reveal any leads/updates. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I just wanted to bring it up again in the hopes maybe something new will be revealed. The Case: On the morning of March 22, 1990, "Debbie" withdrew a large sum of money from a bank in Winston-Salem, NC. As she was getting into her car and preparing to leave, she was violently accosted by a black male who forced his way into her car and forced her to drive to a liquor store 3 miles away. After buying some whiskey, the man forced her to drive out of town towards Fayetteville. Then after driving for over four hours, he forced her to pull off the road about 3-4 miles north of Fayetteville. He drug her into the woods, she managed to break free and a brief chase ensued. After being overtaken, she was savagely beaten, raped and basically left for dead. The man's final chilling act involved shooting her in the face at point blank range with a 12-gauge double barreled shotgun. I'm really hoping this isn't one of those cases that just fades to black w/o ever getting solved.....the physical evidence left behind keeps my hopes up a tad bit, esp. with technology today......but still, this is one of those ones you just wish there was a resolution too.

01-20-2008, 02:14 PM	#3
lilmissd Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Oct 28, 2007 Location: MN Posts: 143	Debby Yes, I remember this case well. I think that he had seen her before she went into the bank, and waited for her to come out. Do you know if he stole the money she withdrew? I am assuming that he stole her car to get out of the area. The shooting was so sensless; I mean the guy had what he wanted, and in the condition she was in didn't pose much of a threat and shooting her was like rubbing salt in the wound, so to speak. This guy was going for the "overkill" method, and was probably high on drugs especially if he was a drifter or homeless. It's such as shame that someone has gotten away with this heinous crime all these years, and I hope someday that he'll be caught. What scares me is, that he got away with it once and that he has done/or will do it again to someone else, and this time he'll kill them!

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01-15-2008, 07:11 PM	#2
crystaldawn Moderator Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,774	Yes I wish we could find out if anyone was ever arrested. I wouldn't be suprised if there hadn't been one, it seems like the guy could have been a drifter. Its also tough to try and research online since they never gave her real name (of course I can understand why she wouldn't want it revealed).

01-21-2008, 04:07 AM	#4
Huskerz85 Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2006 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 127	From what I got out of the segment, he didn't take her money.....she must've put that away before she got to her car or right before he jumped in it..... I'd venture to put money on the chance that the perp is either dead or rotting away in some other prison (in another state maybe?) for some other crime........ One can only hope though......

01-21-2008, 08:53 AM	#5
Thinman Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 178	This was truly one of the most horrifying UM segments I ever saw. This one scared the bejeezus out of me.

01-21-2008, 09:16 AM	#7
kadrmas15 Senior Member Retired from Board 03/03/11 Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,888	Well, what is also scary is, depending on what NC law is, they might have given up, since if he was caught, the charges would presumably be, car jacking, kidnapping, sexual assault, attempted murder, the statute of limitations might have expired on all of this so even if they caught the guy he might have got up scot-free. I would say this guy is or has been in the system somewhere, they still have the DNA profile somewhere I am sure, run it through the nationwide database, see what happens, I am willing to bet it would probably come up that there is a match, to at least other crimes if not to a suspect. But maybe NC doesnt have a statute of limitations? I know Virginia doesnt have a statute of limitations on any felony crime. Well, I bet that one trooper felt bad, knowing he could have potentially caught the guy, had he checked out the car like he was going to but then that speeder came by and he went after the speeder because he figured "Debbie's" car was probably just abandoned and was lower priority. They found the car in north Florida so that tells me this guy gets around despite the fact that he is probably a drifter, I am guessing his claim of having killed a man in New York is true, in my opinion he had killed and raped before and has killed and raped since Debbie, this wasnt this guy's first attempted murder and rape. Only by the grace of the good lord did Debbie survive, I am still amazed she survived that and actually could get up and stumble a rather lengthy distance out of the woods to where the troopers were. That is good luck for her they were there when she needed them, but to survive a point blank range shot anywhere on your body let alone to the face with a shot gun, just amazing.

01-21-2008, 11:55 AM	#8
Drakken Forum Regular Member Join Date: Dec 21, 2007 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 276	Yes, but the perp stole Debbie's vehicle and crossed several state borders all the way to Florida, which is a federal crime. Wouldn't that immediately bring the FBI in the investigation, thus nullifying any statute of limitation?

01-21-2008, 02:24 PM	#9
kadrmas15 Senior Member Retired from Board 03/03/11 Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,888	Well, they couldnt charge him with the stuff that happened in NC because he didnt cross state lines. The only time he crossed state lines was after he stole the car so all they could do is charge him with driving a stolen car across state lines, there is no federal statute for attempted murder, so I guess the most they could charge him with is maybe potentially, they could charge him with violating Debbie's civil rights which would get him a 10 year federal prison sentence.

11-17-2009, 06:13 PM	#10
unsolved88 Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Apr 16, 2006 Location: Daytona Beach, FL Posts: 247	After searching Google news archives, I found a preview of an an article (you have to pay to read the full article) from the Fayetteville Observer newspaper dated 3/27/90 explaining that the victim was in critical condition. "Debbie's" real name is Phoebe Harrison Cooper and she was 43 at the time of the attack.

11-17-2009, 06:56 PM	#11
Necco Forum Regular Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2006 Posts: 538	I'm not sure this information should be posted.

11-17-2009, 09:12 PM	#13
Necco Forum Regular Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2006 Posts: 538	I realize it was in the newspaper and I wasn't attacking the poster, I was just musing whether or not it was fair to the victim to post it after she opted to hide her identity in the broadcast. I often wonder about the people involved in Unsolved Mysteries (the early years) and if they would have gotten involved if they realized their lives (and dated hairstyles) would still be discussed 20 years later.

11-18-2009, 01:56 AM	#15
Cori aka ChrisSCrush Forum Regular Member Join Date: Dec 30, 2001 Location: USA and damn proud of it! Posts: 907	Unless there's another person of the same name in the same state, her class reunion picture from last year is online: http://thsclassof1966.com/index_files/Page1151.html