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.

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).

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!

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......

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

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"...:eek:

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.

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?

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.

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.

I'm not sure this information should be posted.

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.

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.

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.

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

I think I posted this on another thread. Winston-Salem had two of the most brutal rapists of all time roaming the streets at the time of this crime. The first, Willard Brown, is the real rapist/killer in the famous case of Darryl Hunt, which an HBO movie was made about. The second, Ernest Cherry, is spending the rest of his life in prison for the rape and attempted murder of Chrissy Gallaher in 1992, who was also kidnapped in Winston-Salem and left for dead in the woods in Fayetteville, NC. That has always seemed like too big of a coincidence for me, considering those towns are three hours apart.

I think I posted this on another thread. Winston-Salem had two of the most brutal rapists of all time roaming the streets at the time of this crime. The first, Willard Brown, is the real rapist/killer in the famous case of Darryl Hunt, which an HBO movie was made about. The second, Ernest Cherry, is spending the rest of his life in prison for the rape and attempted murder of Chrissy Gallaher in 1992, who was also kidnapped in Winston-Salem and left for dead in the woods in Fayetteville, NC. That has always seemed like too big of a coincidence for me, considering those towns are three hours apart.

1. are all three suspects African-American?
2. I hate to say this, but it may be all a coincidence. Rape is a far to common crime in america. You could probably randomly choose towns close together that have rape crimes that are similar.
3. I'v always been of the mind that Debbie's rape was the first and possibly only rape by the perp. He didn't seem like he had done this type of thing before. He seems more like someone who was angry and just wanted to take his anger out on someone.

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


That's more than likely her. In 1965, Phoebe would have been 18, so the age fits with someone who would have been a high school senior at that time.

1. are all three suspects African-American?
2. I hate to say this, but it may be all a coincidence. Rape is a far to common crime in america. You could probably randomly choose towns close together that have rape crimes that are similar.
3. I'v always been of the mind that Debbie's rape was the first and possibly only rape by the perp. He didn't seem like he had done this type of thing before. He seems more like someone who was angry and just wanted to take his anger out on someone.

1. Yes
2. I disagree. Rape (especially date rape) is fairly common. However, what was done to these women is not. The viciousness and brutality goes beyond anything imaginable and it takes a "special" rapist to do what was done in these three crimes. These towns are 3+ hours apart.
3. Willard Brown and Ernest Cherry were very angry individuals who took their anger out on lots of people.

yeah, I was baffled as to what the motive was as well. I would assume that he did rob her as the segment stated "she made a large cash withdrawal", but it never mentions if he took the money. Since he ditched the car relatively quickly, I'm assuming there was some other motive.

Still unsolved? unbelievable

Still unsolved? unbelievable

I think this kind of stuff isn't the police's top priority, or she isn't pressing them on it (her name is already here on the boards when she told UM to make it anonymous).

I'm not sure I've ever seen this segment. Is it...you know...out there...so to speak?

I'm not sure I've ever seen this segment. Is it...you know...out there...so to speak?

Yes!

Tough choice for 'Debby' when the killer went into the store, she could of ran but he said he'd kill everyone in the store if she did. Gotta wonder if he would have done a mass killing or would have just gotton into her car and drove away.

This was one of the most horrifying segments for me. That is stuff that is made of nightmares.

Tough choice for 'Debby' when the killer went into the store, she could of ran but he said he'd kill everyone in the store if she did. Gotta wonder if he would have done a mass killing or would have just gotton into her car and drove away.

It's a pretty scary 'what would you do' moment to think about.

It's a pretty scary 'what would you do' moment to think about.

I would have run because honestly, with him being drunk and such, could he really kill all those people in the store?

I think in all probability this guy is either dead or incarcerated. The brutal nature of this attack tells me this wasn't the first time this bastard did something like this and it certainly wouldn't have been the last. It also kind of irks me that the trooper decided to chase the speeding vehicle down when (based off of the re-enactment) he wasn't running radar and was on the opposite side of the highway, so he obviously wouldn't have known how fast this car was traveling. If you Google "Ernest Ray Cherry Chrissy Gallaher" you'll come across some articles with some eerie similarities. Ernest Cherry may very well be the same man that attacked "Debbie".

I too was creeped out by the way they distorted his voice as he was chasing Debbie through the woods. I actually just watched this for the first time today and I'm glad I didn't see it when I was younger or I would definitely have had nightmares!

This case is one of the scariest for sure. It's good there were cops right at the area she stepped out of to get her help. I feel sorry for "Debbie" and I hope she's been able to move on with life alright. Someday hopefully they'll capture this jerk.

Its just a shame these scum prey on the vulnerable like they do. Cases like these are why I have a permit to conceal, and I would pop this guy in a heartbeat with no remorse, alas these sickos only target moms and such. Really sick segment

It's sad that there are no updates. Note that Robert Stack made it a point to purposely downplay the racial component here, while what very rare episodes featured White-on-Black crime, the racial component was always emphasized. The racial indoctrination/propaganda outlined above is the only aspect of the show I didn't like. Note that Black-on-White crime featured on the show far outnumbered the reverse and race was never mentioned as a factor. When the perpetrator was White and the victim was Black [two cases that I remember], race was always mentioned.

It's possible that her attacker is incarcerated in prison for another crime, as to why this case remains unsolved. I'm sure his attack on "Debbie" wasn't his first or last violent offense.

I know we can never blame the victim in a situation like this, and the responsibility falls 100% on the person that committed the crime. That being said, I watched this recently and thought, you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let them take you to the second location. I think he could tell she was terrified, but I find it highly unlikely that he would have killed all those people in the store and then what? If she had the getaway car, what was he going to do when the other shop owners called the police - walked?

I know she didn't want that on her conscience, the possibility of other people being harmed, but I feel that was her chance to save herself. Did he go into the store with the shotgun? It's very possible that being a liquor store the owner had a gun of his own or a way to call the police if someone weird was in the store. I'm so sorry this happened, but I regret that she didn't leave him there when she had the chance. At some point, when he was paying for the alcohol he must have had his back to her. And the fact that he even threatened to kill the others, means he had murderous intent and that she probably wasn't going to survive the encounter.

I had this thought suddenly today: what if this man is an out-of-state prison escapee? It occurred to me when I was reading an article about my home state having the third-highest number of unapprehended prison escapees in the country, with only California and New York having more.

Perhaps it sounds a bit far-fetched, but he did reportedly claim to have killed a man in New York, and got out of the area very quickly immediately afterward.

I don't know, what do you all think?

The scene they showed where she was walking out of the woods towards the cops on the highway is chilling. I wonder where "Debbie" is today?

I know we can never blame the victim in a situation like this, and the responsibility falls 100% on the person that committed the crime. That being said, I watched this recently and thought, you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let them take you to the second location. I think he could tell she was terrified, but I find it highly unlikely that he would have killed all those people in the store and then what? If she had the getaway car, what was he going to do when the other shop owners called the police - walked?

Sorry to bump an old post, but one detail we shouldn't forget is that the perp took the car keys inside with him. Debbie's only option would have been to get out and run and there's always the danger that he could have shot her and everyone else in the store before taking her car and driving away.

Ernest Cherry looks like a promising suspect in this case, IMO. Here's a link (with a picture) to his DOC file. He is serving a life sentence for the brutal rape and attempted murder of a woman in NC from 1992. There's some eerie similarities to "Debbie's" case as well.

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0074612&searchLastName=ch&searchFirstName=e&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

Ernest Cherry looks like a promising suspect in this case, IMO. Here's a link (with a picture) to his DOC file. He is serving a life sentence for the brutal rape and attempted murder of a woman in NC from 1992. There's some eerie similarities to "Debbie's" case as well.

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0074612&searchLastName=ch&searchFirstName=e&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

WHOA. Nice work, man!

I think it makes a lot of sense. All his convictions were in Forsyth County, which is precisely where "Debbie" was abducted. And as you said, the crimes are very similar.

WHOA. Nice work, man!

I think it makes a lot of sense. All his convictions were in Forsyth County, which is precisely where "Debbie" was abducted. And as you said, the crimes are very similar.

IIRC, they have DNA from "Debbie's" attack. I wonder if they ever tried it on Cherry or any other POI with similar MO's around the area.

IIRC, they have DNA from "Debbie's" attack. I wonder if they ever tried it on Cherry or any other POI with similar MO's around the area.

Yes, that's correct. If they haven't, I wonder if it's a law enforcement jurisdiction complication that's to blame. Debbie was found in Cumberland County after being abducted and driven from Forsyth County, which is over two hours away. I think she was found by NC state patrol/police/troopers/public safety officers. I honestly can't remember who the investigating agencies were/are.

Just by looking at a NC road atlas, I get the sense this was not at all a pre-planned thing. He drove southeast to Fayetteville before ultimately ending up in Hamilton County, FL--which he could've gotten to by at least two more direct routes from Winston-Salem. I get the feeling he was on a bender when he committed the crime, for lack of a better word. The drinking thing has always bothered me too. I got this sense that he HAD to drink his way through it or something.

Yes, that's correct. If they haven't, I wonder if it's a law enforcement jurisdiction complication that's to blame. Debbie was found in Cumberland County after being abducted and driven from Forsyth County, which is over two hours away. I think she was found by NC state patrol/police/troopers/public safety officers. I honestly can't remember who the investigating agencies were/are.

Just by looking at a NC road atlas, I get the sense this was not at all a pre-planned thing. He drove southeast to Fayetteville before ultimately ending up in Hamilton County, FL--which he could've gotten to by at least two more direct routes from Winston-Salem. I get the feeling he was on a bender when he committed the crime, for lack of a better word. The drinking thing has always bothered me too. I got this sense that he HAD to drink his way through it or something.

the Winston-Salem police department are in charge of her case currently, but not sure if it's in an open status or not.

I made the mistake of watching this segment last night, right before time to go to bed! Talk about nighmare fuel. :eek:

Yes, that's correct. If they haven't, I wonder if it's a law enforcement jurisdiction complication that's to blame. Debbie was found in Cumberland County after being abducted and driven from Forsyth County, which is over two hours away. I think she was found by NC state patrol/police/troopers/public safety officers. I honestly can't remember who the investigating agencies were/are.

Just by looking at a NC road atlas, I get the sense this was not at all a pre-planned thing. He drove southeast to Fayetteville before ultimately ending up in Hamilton County, FL--which he could've gotten to by at least two more direct routes from Winston-Salem. I get the feeling he was on a bender when he committed the crime, for lack of a better word. The drinking thing has always bothered me too. I got this sense that he HAD to drink his way through it or something.

With the national DNA database would it even be a problem the last 10-15 years? It is highly likely that this lowlife has been caught for other sexual & violent crimes & should be on the database. I know cold cases like this are supposed to be looked at fairly regularly so it is hard to believe they haven't found him-unless he got killed or overdosed on drugs before he got caught for anything serious.

Just for the record, NC has no statute of limitations for felonies and violent misdemeanors

There is a significant chance the culprit is dead now. He would be 60+ today. I'm guessing he lived a high-risk and not too healthy lifestyle

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

It's been a long time, so that link doesn't work anymore. This one does, though: http://www.tshsclass65.myevent.com/3/miscellaneous3.htm

http://www.tshsclass65.myevent.com/clients/1487/7483361_org.jpg

Ernest Cherry looks like a promising suspect in this case, IMO. Here's a link (with a picture) to his DOC file. He is serving a life sentence for the brutal rape and attempted murder of a woman in NC from 1992. There's some eerie similarities to "Debbie's" case as well.

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0074612&searchLastName=ch&searchFirstName=e&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1


Great work indeed. Would love to see the results of a DNA test in this case.

She looks great. I actually had a brief exchange with her sister Jane (the long haired red headed sister from the segment) on Facebook months ago. And she relayed to me that her sister was doing really well. Seems like, as she stated in her segment, that she truly does have tons for which to live.

She looks great. I actually had a brief exchange with her sister Jane (the long haired red headed sister from the segment) on Facebook months ago. And she relayed to me that her sister was doing really well. Seems like, as she stated in her segment, that she truly does have tons for which to live.



Did she give any updates on finding the guy responsible?

No she did not. But she was super cordial and said Debbie is doing very well. Again, elated to know she’s thriving

FWIW, I did pass the information about Earnest Cherry along to "submit a tip" on the Unsolved Mysteries website. Never heard anything back.

FWIW, I did pass the information about Earnest Cherry along to "submit a tip" on the Unsolved Mysteries website. Never heard anything back.

I don't know if you do Facebook, but shooting a private/direct message to the official UM page might get a speedier response (at least it did for me when I asked a music-related question)

Yeah, that information shouldn't be posted. I think it's despicable doing that. Whether or not that person's real name was posted before, it's not your place to spread that person's true identity. Perhaps the newspaper printed it without her consent and then she decided, if she had power over whether her name was published, NOT to disclose her identity on her own. Anyways, that's terrible what you did. If someone did that to me, I'd be livid.

A few years ago, I found this lady's name being tossed around on social media, so I located her social media account and sent her a message telling her about what I had discovered. A little while after, I got a message from the social media site reminding me I'm not supposed to be sending messages to people I don't know. I don't know how the social media site came to find out what I had done, whether the lady said anything to them or not or whether she was responsible in any way, but I thought, "I tried to do a nice thing for this lady, and this is what happens?" If I see a crime victim's name and/or photos being tossed around online again, I'll unfortunately have to think twice now about letting them know. Which is a shame.

Just noticed this article (https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/cumberland-county-news/florida-man-arrested-in-fayetteville-cold-case-rape-from-1990/1678205959) about an arrest of a Florida man, Wilbur McGill, for a 1990 rape in Fayetteville. At first, I thought it was Debbie's case, but it turned out to be another case that took place in November of 1990 (Debbie was attacked in March).

There appears to be some similarities between the two cases:
* Both took place in Fayetteville, North Carolina
* Both took place in 1990
* Both took place during the day
* The assailant stole the victim's vehicle in both cases
* The assailant forced the victim to drive to a remote location in both cases, where he then raped her
* Debbie's car was found in Florida, which is where McGill was arrested
* McGill looks somewhat similar to the composite of Debbie's attacker

^NICE FIND!!!^ Maybe this will finally bring a close

^NICE FIND!!!^ Maybe this will finally bring a close

Thanks! I recently submitted the tip to the UM website; we'll see if I hear anything back haha. There seemed to be so many similarities between the two cases. It would not surprise me if McGill was responsible for Debbie's case. Hopefully, police will look into the case and compare DNA evidence if it's available.

Ernest Cherry's MO is eerily similar to Debbie's attacker:

-Both abducted women at gunpoint in Winston-Salem in the middle of the morning.
-It appears that both motives were to gain access to the money from an ATM.
-Both went to Fayetteville as their destination for ditching the vehicles.
-Both attempted to brutally murder their victims (although Cherry didn't use a shotgun on his attack, he attempted to choke his victim to death).
-Both victims were raped.

I can't find much more information about Cherry online, but it just seems like too much of a coincidence to me. Debbie was attacked in 1990, Cherry's victim was attacked 2 years later.

They say in the segment they have "physical evidence." If it's DNA, and they have someone who is already in prison for similar crimes, their DNA would've already been checked, no?

Does anyone know if it was actually DNA? This would be a great case for genetic genealogy, if so.

I didn't see this posted so I wanted to share it. Granted it's from '93, with some sort of update in 2015. But it really demonstrates the sort of person Phoebe was/is. She's a tough cookie who wanted to help others after her ordeal and I applaud her. I hope she is doing well today.

https://greensboro.com/first-survival-then-success-its-like-god-gave-me-a-second-chance/article_5de2143b-73c7-5e33-8533-3bfb79950b28.html

Wow. The attacker was 5’6 and around 160 pounds? I was that size in middle school. The reenactment always left you the impression that he was this towering man.

Wow. The attacker was 5’6 and around 160 pounds? I was that size in middle school. The reenactment always left you the impression that he was this towering man.
U.M. described the attacker as being average height at 5-10. Not sure how they could have been off by four inches in either case one way or another.

U.M. described the attacker as being average height at 5-10. Not sure how they could have been off by four inches in either case one way or another.

That is interesting. in that article they describe him as 5-6, on the segment they said 5-10, and on the UM wikia it says 5-6 to 5-10 which is quite a range. I'm not sure that we can trust the description regardless because she was in the car most of the time and went through a lot of trauma. the lead that always stood out to me was the petrol smell. I work with aircraft and that is a smell that is very difficult, nearly impossible, to get out of your work clothing. but with that said, it is just something that stood out to me. there is no telling where the perp obtained the clothing. it could have been dug out of the trash for all we know.

That is interesting. in that article they describe him as 5-6, on the segment they said 5-10, and on the UM wikia it says 5-6 to 5-10 which is quite a range. I'm not sure that we can trust the description regardless because she was in the car most of the time and went through a lot of trauma. the lead that always stood out to me was the petrol smell. I work with aircraft and that is a smell that is very difficult, nearly impossible, to get out of your work clothing. but with that said, it is just something that stood out to me. there is no telling where the perp obtained the clothing. it could have been dug out of the trash for all we know.
Right. We can only hope he got locked up for some other crime, and hasn't had the chance to do this to anybody else for at least some time now.

Right. We can only hope he got locked up for some other crime, and hasn't had the chance to do this to anybody else for at least some time now.

I hope he's out of the picture one way or the other. Thecars brought up a good suspect in prior posts. Earnest Cherry, idk if investigators ever tried to link him to this case, but as TheCars pointed out the MOs and locations are close. Cherry is discussed on the UM wiki page and has an article posted about him by the Greensboro news outlet.

https://greensboro.com/crowded-prisons-and-early-releases-fearful-public-wants-criminals-behind/article_6d0a9e8d-406e-5391-bede-725353db95bd.html