Quincy Jovan Allen (born November 7, 1979) is an American

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who killed four people between July and August in a crime spree in 2002. He was sentenced to death for his crimes in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, but he was resentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

in 2024.

Crimes

Allen was inspired to begin his crime spree during his time in federal prison for stealing a vehicle. While incarcerated, a fellow inmate told him that he could get him a job as a

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

hitman. When he was released, Allen decided to buy a shotgun and begin practicing for his promised career.

Timeline of events

* July 7, 2002: Allen, in order to practice using his shotgun, decided to attack 51-year-old homeless man James White at a bench in Finlay Park in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. The sleeping White was shot twice, but survived the attack. * July 10, 2002: Allen killed 45-year-old Dale Evonne Hall (or Hale) near a Columbia I-77 stop using his sawed-off shotgun. Hall was shot in the head, face, leg, and stomach area. Allen then drove to a nearby truck stop, bought a can of gasoline and returned to the body, dousing it and then subsequently burning it. * August 8, 2002: After a confrontation with

Texas Roadhouse Texas Roadhouse is an American steakhouse chain that specializes in steaks in a Texan and Southwestern cuisine style. It is a subsidiary of Texas Roadhouse Inc, which has two other concepts (Bubba's 33 and Jaggers) and is headquartered in Louisv ...

employee Brian Marquis, Allen fatally shot 22-year-old Jedediah "Jed" Harr, a friend of Marquis who tried to intervene. Soon after the scuffle, he chased after Marquis to his house, setting the porch on fire. * August 9, 2002: Allen set fire to the car of another Texas Roadhouse employee, before randomly selecting and subsequently burning another a few minutes later. * August 12, 2002: While robbing a

Citgo Citgo Petroleum Corporation, or Citgo (stylized as CITGO), is a United States–based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area ...

gasoline station in

Dobson, North Carolina Dobson is a town in Dobson Township, Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,396. It is the county seat of Surry County. Dobson is the home of the Shelton Vineyards, the largest winery in No ...

, Allen fatally shot 53-year-old Richard Calvin Hawks from

Lowgap, North Carolina Lowgap is an unincorporated community in the Franklin Township of Surry County, North Carolina, United States. Originally settled by the Galyean and Edwards families, Lowgap is named for the "low gap" the community is settled in among the Blue Ri ...

and 29-year-old Robert Shane Roush from

Lancaster, Ohio Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, and its county seat. The population was 40,552 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Ohio, Ohio's 30th largest city, having surpassed Warren, Ohio, Warren and Fin ...

. * August 14, 2002: Allen was arrested while sleeping in an abandoned car in

Mitchell County, Texas Mitchell County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,990. Its county seat is Colorado City. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1881. It is named for Asa and Eli Mitchell, two ear ...

Death row stabbing

On the morning of December 2, 2009, Allen, along with fellow death row inmate Mikal Deen Mahdi, a

Lawrenceville, Virginia Lawrenceville is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,014. Located by the Meherrin River, it is the county seat of Brunswick County. In colonial times, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotsw ...

man on death row for the 2004 murder of Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Captain James Myers, 56, in

Calhoun County, South Carolina Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,119, making it the fourth-least populous county in the state. Its county seat is St. Matthews. In terms of land area, it is also t ...

, planned to attack and kill a correctional officer while in the Lieber Correctional Institution. After making shivs using metal they stripped from air ducts, the duo asked the correctional officer Nathan Sasser if they could go visit the basketball court. After escorting them there, they attacked Sasser, stabbing him multiple times. He managed to resist and fought them off despite his heavy injuries. Allen and Mahdi then attempted to jump the fence, but after they were unable to escape, they began tearing up the common area. Even after the guards used tear gas on them, they still refused to back down. Eventually, rubber bullets were used to subdue the pair. Following this incident, both were stripped of their privileges (outside recreation, visitation, phone use, and canteen items) and in 2017, both were transferred along with all other South Carolina death row inmates to the

Kirkland Correctional Institution Kirkland Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina, United States, owned and operated by the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Kirkland has a special role in South Caroli ...

in Columbia. Sasser was later let go from his post, as he had developed

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

and had begun suffering from anxiety attacks. All assault charges from him were later dropped by the prosecutors, who said that there was no point, as both prisoners were already sentenced to death. On August 30, 2024, the South Carolina Supreme Court announced Mahdi would be executed in 2025 for his involvement in the Myers murder. On April 11, 2025, 42-year-old Mikal Deen Mahdi was put to death by firing squad in the

Broad River Correctional Institution The Broad River Correctional Institution (BRCI) is a South Carolina Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States.

Trials

After pleading guilty to the killings, Allen was sentenced to death and scheduled to be executed on January 8, 2010. However, a stay of execution was filed by his attorneys hours after the verdict was announced, with the

South Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of South Carolina is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices.

accepting the motion. A new date was not announced and Allen's death sentence was overturned by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on July 26, 2022. On July 23, 2024, Allen accepted a plea deal in which his sentence would be reduced to life imprisonment in exchange for him waiving all rights to appeal the sentence.

References

External links