Dateline NBC - Who killed Gloria Pointer?

Gloria Pointer, the 14-year-old student resident at Cleveland, was found s*xually assaulted and beaten to death on December 6, 1984. She was stalked by a man on the way to her school between 7 and 7:30 AM, per witness records. She was later found at the bottom of the stairwell of an East 105th apartment.

The mystery around Gloria Pointer's death remained unsolved for 30 years despite efforts from multiple law enforcement agencies in Cleveland, including the FBI. However, in 2013, a breakthrough emerged when DNA samples taken from her clothing linked investigators to convicted r*pist Hernandez Warren.

The Dateline NBC episode A Promise to Gloria offers a synopsis as it retells the tale of Pointer's long-drawn struggle for justice.

"A mother searches for answers in the unsolved murder of her 14-year-old daughter until new DNA technology changes everything."

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of s*xual assault and the murder of a minor. Discretion is advised.

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What happened to Gloria Pointer?

It would take Gloria Pointer fifteen minutes to reach Harry E. Davis Junior High School by foot. On the unfateful day, she was supposed to meet a friend to borrow a comb for a new hairstyle and then walk to school together. She was also set to receive the award for perfect attendance at her school on the day. However, she arrived at school to find Gloria missing, after which the school authorities alerted her parents around 8:00 AM.

Gloria Pointer's lifeless and partially naked body was discovered at the base of a fire escape stairwell in an apartment on East 105th Street. The 14-year-old resident of Cleveland was walking to school on December 6, 1984, when witnesses observed a black man following her and grabbing her arm.

Later that day, around 10:30 PM, the apartment building custodian found Gloria's s*xually assaulted and battered body. Her autopsy reports stated her death resulted from multiple blunt-force injuries to her upper body and head. She was partially clothed in her shirt and socks, with other clothing items found nearby.

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Gloria Pointer's murder was linked to Hernandez Warren after 30 years

The investigation behind Gloria Pointer's murder took 30 years, and the collective efforts of the Cleveland Police Homicide Detectives, the FBI, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office Cold Case Unit, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.

While the crime scene came with crucial DNA evidence from Pointer's clothes, the lack of advanced technology posed a challenge in narrowing down the killer's profile. According to Cleveland.com, the authorities had figured out a partial profile of the primary suspect in Pointer's murder. However, this profile had not been entered into databases capable of linking criminals to their crimes.

As the case was reopened in 2013 and a DNA match was found, the crime was linked to convicted r*pist Hernandez Warren. Warren had already served 16 years for the r*pe and assault during a burglary in 1985. Subsequently, he was charged with r*pe and first-degree aggravated murder of Gloria.

Warren pleaded guilty to the charges on May 21, 2014 - before he was scheduled to go on trial in September of the same year. He was sentenced to life in prison and is eligible for parole in May 2043. As per Ohio Department of Corrections records, Warren is serving his sentence at the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, Ohio.

Gloria Pointer's mother, Yvonne Pointer, recited lines from a poem during her victim impact statement, saying,

"Mommy, speak for me. Tell the world of the pain that I felt with the blow to my head as he left my body in the rain. Mommy, speak for me even though my body is not there. Please find someone who will listen."

The arrest of Hernandez Warren brought justice to Gloria Pointer's murder and fruits to her mother's efforts for three decades.

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A Promise to Gloria aired on January 5, 2024, and is available for streaming on NBC and Peacock.