← The Deck
The Deck
Deborah Perry (King of Spades, South Carolina)
00:23:17
Three decades have passed since 29-year-old Deborah Perry was found shot to death on a rural cul-de-sac outside Columbia, South Carolina, and her killer has never been caught. As cold case investigators follow new leads, Deborah’s daughter wonders if a pair of flowered pants and men’s underwear her mother was found holding could be the key to cracking the case.
Loading summary
Transcript48 lines
- [00:00]
Kia Representative
The first ever Kia K4 seamlessly combines bold style and advanced tech. With striking star map, LED headlights and an available panoramic display, the Kia K4 delivers design and function. The available Surround View and Blind Spot View monitors can help provide added confidence. Plus, SiriusXM comes standard, bringing you closer to what you love. The Kia K4 balances aesthetics and innovation. Learn more at kia.com K4 surround view and Blind Spot View monitors may not detect all objects around or behind the vehicle.
- [00:31]
Delia Diambra
At Amica Insurance, we know it's more than just a car. It's the two door coupe that was there for your first drive, the hatchback that took you cross country and back, and the minivan that tackles the weekly carpool for the cars you couldn't live without. Trust Amica Auto Insurance. Amiga empathy is our best policy.
- [01:01]
Gold Belly Representative
Oh my God, it's the coolest thing ever. Hey guys, have you heard of Gold Belly? Well, check this out. It's this amazing site where they ship the most iconic famous foods from restaurants across the country, anywhere nationwide. I've never found a more perfect gift than food. They ship Chicago deep dish pizza, New York bagels, Maine lobster rolls and even Ina Garten's famous cakes. Seriously. So if you're looking for a gift for the food lover in your Life, head to goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code gift.
- [01:33]
All Modern Representative
Hi, we're all modern. We believe designing your space should be easy and simple at all Modern. We have the best of modern furniture and decor all in one place with styles from scandi and mid century to minimalist and maximalist. Every design is hand vetted for quality by our team of experts. And did we mention fast plus free shipping? That means you can upgrade your space in days, not weeks. That's modern made simple. Shop now@allmodern.com.
- [02:08]
Delia Diambra
Our Card this Week is Deborah Perry, the king of spades from South Carolina. Now, many of you may recognize my voice from other audio Chuck shows like Counterclockwise, Season seven literally just kicked off last month. Or Park Predators, our summer show, which is now a weekly show. I know last week you heard from Kylie Lo, host of Dark Down East. Well, this week Ashley is passing the mic over to me to tell you about a cold case from the Carolinas that needs your attention. For 30 years, the unsolved murder of a young mother found shot to death on an isolated South Carolina cul de sac has haunted her family. They feared they'd carry the mystery of Deborah's death to their own graves. That is until our investigation raised new questions and sparked fresh hope. I'm Delia Diambra and this is the deck. At 11:20am on Sunday, October 23, 1994, two officers from the Richland County Sheriff's Department responded to a call about a possible homicide on quiet rural Chartel Circle. As they pulled towards the end of the one block street, they spotted something eerie that honestly sounds like a scene from a horror movie. Four people standing at the edge of a cul de sac, all pointing in the same direction at the body of a young woman lying motionless on the asphalt.
- [04:02]
Jeff Fuller
He walked up and the first thing he noticed was blood around the head of this female, partially clothed, shoes and other clothing material awry around her body. I'm pretty sure that the first thing he thought oh, this is a murder, not like an accident or something. It looks pretty heinous.
- [04:19]
Delia Diambra
That's Richland County Sheriff's Department cold case investigator Jeff Fuller, he said. When the officers took a closer look, they saw the woman had an apparent gunshot wound to the head, a likely source for all that blood pooled under it. And there was so much blood, he said, there was no doubt she'd been shot right there where she lay. Now, the young woman was wearing a white crewneck sweatshirt with a black bra underneath, but she was nude from the waist down, except for the socks on her feet and a pair of blue and green flower printed pants clutched against her chest and draped over her torso.
- [04:51]
Jeff Fuller
It looks like she's trying to cover herself up. So apparently that was done before she was shot because she was shot in such a manner that she couldn't do it afterwards. I don't think.
- [05:01]
Delia Diambra
There was no size marked on the tag of the pants, but when police carefully removed them from her grasp, they found a pair of men's briefs, size 3234 waste that were inside. As far as what else they gathered from around the scene, it was kind of a mixed bag. Some items felt significant, but they also had to wade through a lot of trash that was scattered around the general area. For some context, the cul de sac itself was surrounded only by weeds and woods, and the area seemed to be a popular spot for the things people do in the dark.
- [05:30]
Jeff Fuller
Those remote areas tracks people doing things surreptitiously, whether they're making out or drinking beer or doing drugs. It's everywhere on those kind of areas. It's kind of like going to a state park and trying to figure out Joe Smith's beer can out of all those that are laying around. It's hard to do.
- [05:46]
Delia Diambra
Officers gathered more than a dozen items from the general vicinity, including beer cans, some discarded clothing, and a towel found along the edge of the woods. They didn't know if any of that would relate to their victim, but better safe than sorry. There were some other items closer to where she was found, though, that. That felt more promising. Officers collected two 9 millimeter shell casings, one from under her head and one by her feet. They also collected a condom and a condom wrapper and a pair of white high top sneakers that had been placed on the soles side by side near her feet. Officers also photographed some tire skid marks on the pavement at the entrance to the cul de sac, more than 50ft from where she lay. The only other physical evidence they got would come from her autopsy. According to that report, she appeared to have been pretty healthy before her death. The coroner found she'd actually been shot twice in the head. The first bullet entered her left cheek and exited just above her right ear. And the second entered the right side of her head near the top of her skull. That one was found lodged around her left cheekbone. The location and upward angle of the first gunshot wound told investigators she was likely in a car and possibly trying to get out when she was shot.
- [06:56]
Jeff Fuller
Now, at this point, you don't know if that's a fatal shot. It could have gone through the sinus cavities. It probably was a fatal shot shortly. But then is the person jumping out of the car when this happens and the head's tilted down making that shot? How does that get to be at that angle? Are they jumping out and get shot? And then I think you could make a very high percentage guess that once the person was on the ground, there was a shot to the head.
- [07:23]
Delia Diambra
Now, a sexual assault exam didn't provide any forensic evidence, and her nails were too short to be tested. But after running her fingerprints, they finally got a Debra Perry. She was 29 years old and had gotten into some legal trouble for forged checks a couple of years prior. That's why they had her prints along with her name. They got an address where she'd last been living, seven miles from Chartel Circle. A few residents in the area reportedly saw her leaving home the night before Saturday, October 22. She told @ least one of them she was going to make a phone call. And this is 1994, so she was probably heading to use a payphone at a nearby corner store. But who she called, where she called from, how she got from there to Chartel Circle, and why she was there at all is a mystery. It's not an easy walk from that apartment to the cul de sac, and it isn't somewhere you just happen to come across which would indicate she got there by car, fuller told us. Investigators learned she might have known people in the Chartel Circle area and been involved in sex work, and a toxicology report came back positive for cocaine in her system. So maybe she was there to purchase from someone or to meet a client and things got out of hand. There were too many questions and not enough answers, but investigators hoped her family might be able to give them more.
- [08:45]
Quince Representative
It's great when you could give someone a gift to somewhere they didn't even know about. And maybe just in the back of your mind you knew they were going to love it, which is how I first felt when I first learned about Quince. You deserve quality luxury gifts at affordable prices and so do your loved ones. From 14 karat gold jewelry to Italian leather handbags, all quintess Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. I recently just received this amazing crossbody bag that I seriously do not leave the house without. It's this beautiful brown leather with gold accents and it just lays flat enough so I could wear it over or even under a jacket depending on my vibe that day. And since we're moving into chilly season, I also just ordered these scuff slippers. They look super cozy and I know I'm going to be wearing them all around the house. Gift Luxury this holiday season without the luxury price tag. Go to quince.com deck for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com dec to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com deck.
- [09:54]
Pandora Representative
Be merry. Be Bright. Be love this holiday season. Get wrapped up with precious pieces from Pandora Jewelry. Choose from stunning selections of festive charms, shimmering rings, dazzling earrings, sparkling necklaces and lab grown diamonds to elevate your holiday gifting for everyone on your list. And don't forget to treat yourself too. With Pandora jewelry you can give the gift of love and let it shine brighter than ever before. Discover the perfect way to make this holiday season truly memorable and be the light that brightens up the holidays. Be Love Shop Pandora Jewelry today in store or@pandora.net and wrapped the World in Love.
- [10:38]
Delia Diambra
Soon after Deborah was identified, Richland county investigators learned she had seven children, all of whom were in foster care, having been removed from her care sometime after her arrest for the forgery charge the father of her children, a guy named Danny Davis, was in prison on an accessory to robbery charge. So they contacted Danny's sister, Jennifer Davis, who would end up helping raise Deborah's children, along with her mom and her grandmother. Jennifer actually went down to the morgue to identify Debra. Debra's hair was cut very short. And that wasn't the only physical change. Since Jennifer had last seen her several.
- [11:12]
Jennifer Davis
Years earlier, she had lost a whole lot of weight. Like, she just was running, you know, just in the streets, just running. It was terrible. I can say I'm a tough cookie. And I've been in the nursing field also, so I guess I was able to handle that.
- [11:30]
Delia Diambra
That was Jennifer. And after speaking with her and the family, investigators learned Deborah's struggles began early. She'd grown up in New York City, close to Jennifer and Danny's family. Jennifer told us she'd actually visited the Perry family apartment in the late 1970s or early 80s.
- [11:46]
Jennifer Davis
I noticed that it was not a home, not the way that my mom had a home. My mom had a home. You understand what I mean? Like, when we walked into her home, there was no furniture. The walls were dark. There was one mattress on the floor in the living room. So when she took us into the kitchen, there was just a small little table there with a bottle of Thunderbird ashes and an ashtray. She opened up the refrigerator like a young kid would, you know? And when she opened up the refrigerator, me and my siblings were standing there. There was nothing in the refrigerator, no supervision, because her mom was on drugs. And when I did see her mom, her mom was getting high with her brothers. So that would be Deborah's uncles, and they would be sitting outside playing music, getting high. It was always like on a Friday.
- [12:47]
Delia Diambra
By the time she was 10 or 11, Debra had fallen into the same habits as the rest of her family. And when she and Danny started dating when they were both young teens, he fell into those habits, too.
- [12:58]
Jennifer Davis
I've always asked him from time to time, you know, why. Why did you turn to drugs when she introduced it to you? And he said he loved her, and he felt that if this is what she's doing, then I need to do the same thing that she's doing. That was his mindset.
- [13:17]
Delia Diambra
By 1984, Danny and Deborah had three kids and were bouncing from shelter to shelter in New York. So Jennifer's mom sent them money to help them relocate to South Carolina, where she and Jennifer were living at the time. The family was hoping a new start would mean a fresh start for Danny and Deborah. But it wasn't. The substance abuse continued. Both had run ins with the law, and Debra had four more children before her life was cut short. She had visits with the children, Jennifer said, But no one in the family knew much about the details of her life. In the final few years, with little information from family, investigators also struggled to find solid leads. And the few solid leads they did have, Detective Fuller couldn't tell us much about. For instance, according to the case file, on November 10, they brought in a man for a polygraph. He'd been arrested by the Richland County Sheriff's office in 1990. But the file doesn't say what the charge was, and Fuller didn't know either. We do know the results of that polygraph test showed deceptive intent. If investigators dug more into this guy, I can't say. There's nothing in the file about an alibi. And the absence of any other information about him from that point on makes it seem like investigators thought he was a dead end. They ended up determining that the two 9 millimeter bullets used in the murder came from the same gun. A Luger. We know they tested them against two weapons that Detective Fuller says were used in another crime. It was just standard procedure to run the comparison, I guess. So they weren't necessarily surprised when neither was a match. And those shoes found near Deborah's body were assumed to be hers, but there's no record of any forensic testing on them. Forensic testing on the condom, the beer cans, and the other items they found towards the edge of the woods also led nowhere. And the flowered pants, Those were still a big question mark. Based on our research, it seems pretty likely these pants, which didn't have a fly, are women's. But that doesn't fully explain the men's underwear inside of them. Sure, they could have been hers, but it was never determined. And investigators didn't do any initial testing on a spot of blood on the pants. In fact, they either didn't notice it or assumed all the blood came from Debra. Which I know feels a little infuriating. But this was the early 90s. The use of DNA testing in cases was a precious resource not always utilized for. Pick your favorite reason. So it's not all that surprising that Deborah's case went cold. Her kids grew up without their mom and believed they'd never get answers about what happened to her. But in 2009, they saw on the news that her case had been reopened, and the Richland County Sheriff's Department was asking for tips. According to that story on News 19 in Colombia. Police had spoken with a witness who claimed to have seen a man with a medium build walking on Chartel's Circle the night of Debra's murder. And get this. The witness said the man was wearing flowered pants. Debra's daughter, Janetta Holmes, told us that detail made her stop in her tracks. Not because she knew her mom had been found with flowered pants. In fact, she'd never heard that detail. It was because she knew a man who'd regularly worn flowered pants back when her mom was killed. It was someone her mom had been romantically involved with. We'll call this man Gerald. And Janetta's aunt Jennifer said he operated a club where Debra worked for a time when she and Danny were broken up and Danny was in prison. Gerald was married when he and Deborah got involved. But he had a temper and may not have liked that Debra was also involved with other men. Jennifer believes that jealousy could have been a motive for the murder.
- [16:51]
Jennifer Davis
Just kind of picture if a man knows that you're a cheating woman, you're a woman that runs the streets. You're with all kinds of men, and you are on drugs, but he loves you, and he catches you out there with another man. So now he's just to the point where he's getting crazier and crazier. He fights you. Cause he did fight her. He was abusing her physically. And for him to see, whatever he seen, I guess he just. He could have shot her.
- [17:20]
Delia Diambra
It felt like a solid theory. And Janetta says a family member did go to police with it, but they never heard of investigators did anything with the tip. Well, we found out that they had done something. You see, by 2009, when they got this tip from family, they'd already had new forensic testing done on the crime scene evidence. They'd learned that spot of blood on the pants had actually come from a man. And they even had a partial DNA profile. So once they got the tip about Gerald, they went and got a DNA sample from him, but it was not a match. Fuller didn't know if investigators had asked Gerald if the pants and underwear found with Deborah belonged to him. So we tried to reach Gerald for ourselves to see if Deborah could have borrowed his clothes on a previous visit. But as of this recording, we haven't been able to make contact with him. As for the witness who claimed to have seen a man walking in flowered pants on Chartel's Circle the night of the crime, it's possible that person actually saw Deborah at 5ft 2 inches and 130 pounds. She was definitely smaller than a man with a medium build, but since her hair was cut in a pixie cut, it's possible that the witness just mistook her for a guy from afar. The man in the flowered pants might be a dead end, but it wasn't the family's only theory, and some of the other theories they had they'd never shared with police. But they did share them with us.
- [18:46]
Pandora Representative
What are you bringing to the Thanksgiving table this year? A new take on a classic dish, a fun game for the family, or perhaps a new language? As the most trusted language learning program for over 30 years, Rosetta Stone immerses you with an enriching experience. Whether you're traveling to a new country or sitting down at the family table, learning a new language can help enhance connections, and not the way you might think. Or at least not for me. Eric and I chose to learn a new language so we could have conversations that most people around us can't understand. It's like our own marriage secret language, except not secret, and we'll actually get to use it if we ever go to France. But here in Indiana, tres secret for a short time. The Deck listeners can get Rosetta Stone's Lifetime Membership Holiday Special. Visit rosettastone.comdeck for unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your life. Redeem your holiday offer today. Rosettastone.com deck this message is sponsored by Greenlight. Parents can feel overwhelmed trying to teach their kids how to manage money, but the debit card and money app made for families called Greenlight is here to help. Parents can send money to their kids and keep an eye on their spending while kids and teens build financial literacy. With the Greenlight app, kids learn how to save, invest and spend wisely through educational games that teach money skills. The Greenlight app even has a chores feature set up customize chores and reward kids directly with allowance money. I remember doing my chores when I was young to earn. My mom gave me tokens and when I finally saved up enough tokens, I got to buy Aladdin on vhs. And I know those are a bunch of dinosaur words. But all that to say it is a tried and true method of teaching your kids about earning and spending. But tokens aren't going to cut it in the digital age. That's why I love Greenlight. The more you can teach them early on, the better you set them up for success later in life. Sign up for greenlight today@greenlight.com thedeck that's greenlight.com the deck to try greenlight today. Greenlight.com thedeck.
- [21:02]
Delia Diambra
Not long after Jennifer identified Debra in the morgue and noticed her short hair, she'd heard a disturbing story that Debra had been attacked by a group of girls who'd cut off her hair. But if Debra had been involved in some ongoing feud, there was no record of it in the case file, and Jennifer didn't know the names of the alleged attackers. Jennifer also told us that soon after Debra was murdered, a relative overheard a man discussing the crime and claiming he was present when it happened. But the relative was too scared to tell her who it was for fear that they'd be killed. And she said Danny had an encounter while he was locked up with someone who knew about Deborah's murder.
- [21:40]
Jennifer Davis
He told me there were guys talking because, you know, in jail, they find out everything that's going on in the streets. There were some guys talking about the situation and what happened to her.
- [21:51]
Delia Diambra
Danny's out of prison now and living in Burlington, Vermont. So our reporter Madison gave him a call, and he agreed to talk. He said that back around 1997, he was working in the wood shop in a prison in Greenville, South Carolina. A guy in the shop overheard Danny saying that the mother of his children had been murdered near Columbia. Here's Danny recalling hearing.
- [22:13]
Danny Davis
And the guy was like, yo, I just know. She said, your children. Mother. Mother. Nice. I was like, yeah. And he was like, well, I know a lady who had children, too. But then he's like, yo, was she with her children? I said, no, her children was with my mom. He's like, yo, I think I know who you talking about.
- [22:29]
Delia Diambra
Danny said when he showed the guy a picture of Debra, the guy said, I know her. He told Danny he'd been in a relationship with Debra while Danny was locked up and that they'd gone to New York together and he thought Deborah might have been running drugs.
- [22:43]
Danny Davis
He was like, yo, for all I know, she went to get a Kia Coke and a Kia. And he said, yo, when she got back, he said this cat robbed her and they murdered her. And he said, the kid that I believe did it, he got murdered, too. I'm like, really?
- [23:01]
Delia Diambra
But despite this, there's absolutely no way for us to know if either one of these guys, the relative who claimed he overheard someone admitting to the murder or the guy Danny met in prison, actually know anything about it. But Danny and Deborah's daughter Janetta believes there could be something there. Her dad doesn't remember the name of the guy he talked to in prison, and he doesn't know the name of the kid who was the alleged trigger man who also got murdered. But he does have at least partial names for the people who supposedly set it up.
- [23:30]
Janetta Holmes
One went by the name of Milton, and another guy went by the name of Polo. They were the two big dog drug dealers in Columbia. They went by those nicknames.
- [23:40]
Delia Diambra
Jennifer also thinks the story the guy in prison told Danny is plausible based on what Danny has told her about Deborah and her drug dealings over the years.
- [23:49]
Jennifer Davis
From what he said to me, what I can remember is that the guy started talking to him and telling him that she was rough, she was a rough cookie. And also that whoever the guys were that was trying to, I guess, put her on to selling with them or selling for them, they pulled a gun out on her, and before they could pull, she had already pulled. So they said, oh, so you're a roughneck. You know, you don't play. So it's like, we want you on our team. So I guess that's when she got initiated in or whatever the case may be. They trusted her. Probably gave her drugs to sell, not realizing that she was on drugs. And like any other, you know, drug deal gone bad, she probably used it when they were looking for their money. She had already used it.
- [24:51]
Delia Diambra
It certainly wouldn't be the first time a drug deal gone bad turned into a murder. But there's really no way to verify any of this since we don't know who Milton or Polo are. So put all that information firmly in the rumor category. Fuller hadn't heard those names either. So after our team spoke with Jennifer, Janetta, and the rest of the family, we made sure to put them back in touch with the Richland County Sheriff's Department so investigators could follow up on any new leads. And there is still hope for new leads. In 2022, Fuller was reviewing cold cases and realized there was evidence in Debra's case that that could be retested for familial DNA links to a suspect. He sent the male blood found at the scene for additional analysis, hoping new technology would provide a break.
- [25:36]
Jeff Fuller
The blood was sent for DNA analysis beyond the capability of our lab because it was so degraded that special extraction techniques had to be done. It took three times to get that done to the point that any kind of genome would count at all. And it was very, very low. There's simply not enough information in the match data to generate additional leads on the identity of the subject. Now, it may change as people donate, get their DNA in the public.
- [26:06]
Delia Diambra
Fuller said that DNA testing conducted on the men's underwear in 2010 was a bust. But the underwear wasn't submitted for new testing in 2022, along with the bloodstain from the pants. And Fuller said he's now checking to see if it can be retested to determine who was wearing it, Deborah or a suspect. Jannetta and her family are hoping that new forensic technology will provide a break in the case or that new witnesses will come forward with information that leads to Debra's killer. Jannetta grew up living with her paternal great grandmother and is now 36 and a mother herself. She's broken the cycle of poverty and addiction that had such a devastating impact on her mother's short life. Her aunt Jennifer and grandmother Maddie are proud and think Deborah would be, too.
- [26:50]
Jennifer Davis
But this one, oh, yeah, was raised by my father's mother, and she have instilled all of those old values. She could cook her behind off. Listen, she takes care of her kids. They are so loving and caring and, oh, my goodness. So out of all of her siblings, she's the mother.
- [27:14]
Delia Diambra
Janetta believes her mother wanted to do better by her children and might have had she had the chance.
- [27:21]
Janetta Holmes
Even though my aunts and my grandmother stepped up, they did everything they could. It still doesn't take the place of having my biological mother. And, you know, still. Yet things has happened to me while growing up. You know, my siblings and I, all kind of things has happened to us, but I feel as though if my mother was here, it could have been a little different. You know, things could have went a little different because, you know, in due time, people do change. But the things that my siblings and I have been through, I mean, it only made us stronger, but still, it's not right.
- [27:51]
Delia Diambra
She also told us her mother has come to her in her dreams.
- [27:55]
Janetta Holmes
When she came to me, it was always to let me know that I was expecting a baby every single time.
- [28:01]
Delia Diambra
Jennifer also believes that Debra's spirit is restless and wants the case solved. She even believes Deborah played a role in our decision to cover the case for this podcast for you to pick.
- [28:13]
Jennifer Davis
Her that lets me know she wants her children to know exactly who killed her. And hopefully the police can find who this person is, because the kids are broken. Even though they're adults, even though they have children of their own and husbands of their own, it still plays in the back of their mind. Minds. And it never leaves because it's unresolved.
- [28:44]
Delia Diambra
If you have information about the 1994 murder of Deborah Perry, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1888 crime scene the deck is an Audio Chuck production with theme music by Ryan Lewis. To learn more about the Deck and our advocacy work, visit thedeckpodcast.com we'll be back next week with a brand new episode and another special surprise. So what do you think Chuck? Do you approve?
- [29:25]
Quince Representative
In the California Road Trip Republic, we believe you take adventure for a ride. Whether coastal cruisin' mountain motoring or redwood roaming. Discover beauty around every turn. Your road trip can kick off from anywhere starting route, but it should always start@VisitCalifornia.com then buckle up, crank those tunes and discover why California is the ultimate playground.
- [29:58]
Delia Diambra
Lemon, lime and a drop of cherry make a simple Shirley. But what happens when Tito's handmade vodka reveals this sweet sipper's dirty secret? Stir up a Tito's Dirty Sherlock and crack the case with tito's@tito's vodka.com 40% alcohol by volume, namely 80 proof, crafted to be savored responsibly.