d: 1990
Summary
Name:
Wallace Norrell ThomasYears Active:
1976Status:
ExecutedClass:
MurdererVictims:
1Method:
ShootingDeath:
July 13, 1990Nationality:
USAd: 1990
Summary: Murderer
Name:
Wallace Norrell ThomasStatus:
ExecutedVictims:
1Method:
ShootingNationality:
USADeath:
July 13, 1990Years Active:
1976“Let my death serve as an instigator that will awaken a nation to fight… ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’”
— Wallace Norrell Thomas
Wallace Norrell Thomas was born in 1955. He grew up in Alabama, but detailed information about his early life is limited. There are no significant records about his family background or his upbringing.
By the time he was in his twenties, he had already made questionable choices that led to conflicts with the law. Thomas's life experiences during these formative years are not widely reported, leaving a gap in understanding the full context of his actions.
These factors played a role in his later life, as he became known for committing serious crimes. In 1976, he was charged in connection with the abduction and murder of a young woman named Quenette Shehane. His life concluded with his execution by electrocution in 1990. However, little information is available about the years leading up to these events, making it difficult to form a complete picture of his early life.
Wallace Norrell Thomas was convicted of kidnapping and killing Quenette Shehane, a 21-year-old woman, on December 20, 1976, in Jefferson County, Alabama. Quenette had recently graduated from Birmingham-Southern College. She was abducted from a convenience store near the college campus. During the crime, one of Thomas's co-defendants later implicated him in the shooting of Quenette.
After being arrested, Thomas was tried and convicted of her murder. The court sentenced him to death. He was placed on death row in Holman Prison in March 1978. Over the years, his execution was delayed multiple times due to legal appeals.
On July 13, 1990, after his appeals were exhausted, Thomas was executed in the electric chair. He was 35 years old at the time of his execution. His final statement before the execution denounced the death penalty. He argued that it was a form of injustice and quoted Martin Luther King Jr. He expressed hope that awareness of his death would encourage others to address these issues.
Wallace Norrell Thomas was the 133rd person to be executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. His execution was also the eighth in Alabama during this period. After his execution, Thomas's co-defendants, who were implicated in the crime, received life sentences for their involvement in Quenette's kidnapping and murder.
