Maurice Wallace murder of student Olamide Adeyooye

Investigating the variety of Forensic Files cases on the internet is always interesting. There's a significant difference between many of the cases which occurred before the internet was popular and after. Information about older cases is typically documented by a variety of reporters, writers, and enthusiasts, typically reviewing the case's details in hindsight. But in 2005, details of Olamide Adeyooye's disappearance and the prime suspect Maurice Wallace were shared as they occurred on various platforms. Nairaland Forum had an interesting thread that unfolded as the case's facts were revealed.

Clean-ups and bloodletting

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

I'll never understand the clean-up attempts that are obviously doomed to fail before they begin. Are the perpetrators simply optimistic? Why spend any time at all if you're not going to make a convincing attempt? Some of these cases do occur – the clean-up is somewhat successful, at least temporarily. Consider Chris Edwards' murder of Jessica O'Grady in Sworded Scheme (s13e15). Turning his mattress over and using white shoe polish on the ceiling misled investigators, if only briefly. And the case of Tamika Huston's murder in Skeleton Key (s14e19) shows that bleach is both ineffectual for cleaning blood and a clear indicator of a clean-up attempt to investigators.

There was no point in Maurice Wallace spilling bleach on (and near) the blood stains in Olamide's bedroom. It's obvious he didn't spend as long as Andrea Morris in her attempt to clean up Pat McRae's blood in Dancing with the Devil (s13e06). And despite a combination of heavy machinery, arson, and more than a week's time, Kenneth Otto still failed to destroy all of the evidence from his murder of Shamaia Smith in Best Foot Forward (s13e50).

The blood at the scene, outside Olamide's apartment, and in her trunk came from what was described as a "penetrating wound". In additional research, it was indicated that Wallace had likely used a knife. I learned a new term from this episode: Exsanguination. This is a state the human body can reach after the loss of approximately 40% of blood and/or fluids. A victim will almost certainly die if the condition is not stopped and treated. To say someone died of "blood loss" or that a victim "bled out" implies exsanguination. This was Sandra Cwik's fate after an assault by Ronald Porter in Insect Clues (s01e10).

Experts and alert police

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

The experts in this case were essential to its resolution. Everyone from the alert office in Newton, Mississippi, to forensic scientist Eileen Taylor played crucial roles. Around the 2:30 mark in the episode, Taylor's official title is presented as "Forensic Scientist III". I found this interesting and confusing at first. This reads "three" or "the third" to me, but I'd never heard of numerical rankings of forensic (or any other) scientists. But later when researching further, I saw the abbreviation for the state of Illinois presented as "Ill." Mystery solved.

Not enough can be said about the astute perception of the investigating officer in Newton. His awareness of a case nearly 700 miles away and association with the victim he discovered may have been the linchpin in solving this case. I've driven through Newton before – with family in Jackson, Mississippi, it's typical to come through Meridian and take I-20 west to Jackson.  But it's unlikely I stopped in Newton, being just one of several small towns that pepper I-20 in east Mississippi. But what a beautiful area.

Considering all the suspects

On the way to identifying Maurice Wallace, police had first considered multiple suspects. Love interests are always on police's radar, and Partiece Harvester and Andy Foley both deserved consideration. Then, an unlikely suspect garnered police's attention after multiple news appearances and interviews. Ashley Todd Martin practically injected herself into the investigation. She and Olamide had been roommates, but they'd recently decided to live separately. Friends claimed that Olamide and Ashley fought, and their roommate arrangement was bordering on toxic.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

So why did Ashley make herself such a focal point of police's investigation? Just a day prior, Ashley had entered Olamide's unlocked apartment and walked into the bathroom while Olamide was showering. Who does this? Where's the self-awareness that this inappropriate at best? Then in interviews, it seemed that Ashley almost enjoyed the spotlight and attention. Her comments to reporters were unsettling: "It's like, I feel bad, I feel guilty, but I'm just glad that you don't have to sit here and wonder whether she's being hurt, or tortured, or you know … she's just peaceful now."

Excessive interaction with police or reporters is a surefire way to keep yourself in investigators' sites. Though it wasn't an episode of Forensic Files, the senseless murder of law student Lauren Giddings in Macon, Georgia stands out in this sense. Her killer, Stephen McDaniel, made himself available for a long news interview, and his demeanor was anything but normal. He was quickly escalated to police's number one suspect.

The investigation zeroes in on Maurice Wallace

Prior to Olamide's disappearance, Maurice Wallace landed himself in jail for four months after assaulting a stranger in a taxicab. Then after being released, he grew frustrated that he wasn't finding work. So he told a girlfriend that he was thinking of "committing violence" to make a name for himself or to become a martyr. Was this the same 'informant' that suggested police look into Maurice Wallace as a possible suspect?

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

After the tip, Wallace's apartment was visited and police found it empty. His neighbors said he's left around the time Olamide went missing. If Wallace was attempting to elude the police, he didn't cover his tracks well. He must not have realized that police can track expenditures through your bank when Wallace used his credit card to purchase gas in Mississippi. And though there wasn't an abundance of physical evidence at Olamide's apartment, Wallace did leave a clear fingerprint on one of the first places investigators check – the light switch.

He continued to use his cell phone as well, so it didn't take long for police to locate Maurice Wallace in Atlanta. The evidence of his involvement continued to mount after Olamide's car was also located in Atlanta – authorities found Olamide's blood in the trunk and Wallace's fingerprint (in Olamide's blood) on the review mirror. Wallace was driving a rental car, but he had Olamide's keys on him. He'd also transferred the gas can that he'd probably used when dousing the barn he'd burned with gasoline. Why didn't he attempt to clean or get rid of any of this physical evidence?

A couple other cases come to mind when describing the mountain of evidence police had to implicate Wallace. In The Disappearance of Helle Crafts (s01e01), there ended up being truckload of evidence showing it was Helle Crafts' body that had gone through the woodchipper, and that her husband Richard was responsible. And despite his claims of innocence, the wealth of evidence against Jason Funk made his involvement in Katie Froeschle's murder from Muffled Cries (s11e31) undeniable.

Was Wallace's incarceration inevitable?

It was implied that Maurice Wallace was "not fondly" remembered, and he was a "bad person". Video footage shared around 9:40 in this episode show an aggressive Wallace, looking to cause trouble. This seemed contrary to the seemingly intelligent Maurice Wallace when being initially interrogated, who wisely asks why his lawyer isn't present. Of course, this again is contrary to someone who wanted to be a martyr – did Wallace know that martyrs, by definition, die for their causes?

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

As informed as Wallace seems to present himself at times, he overlooked another aspect of police procedure – by 2005, murder interrogations were always recorded. And the recording continues even when investigators are outside the room. When left alone, our episode showed Wallace giving his "oppressor" speech, and the narrative suggested "this revealed a potential motive for Olamide's murder." Actually, recorded utterings of Wallace did reveal his motive, but it was described in other research that it was Wallace's intolerance for Olamide dating outside her race.

Wallace had already expressed his objection to Olamide dating Andy Foley. In the recordings of his time alone in the interrogation room, Maurice Wallace continued to chastise Olamide's choices, calling her a "bed wench". On the night of her assault, the show's narrative suggested that Wallace had visited Olamide's apartment, and that Olamide may've even let him in. I have to question this – either they knew each other better than witnesses indicated, or Wallace forced his way inside the young lady's apartment.

Where is Maurice Wallace now in 2024?

Wallace's antics and opposition to the justice system didn't stop when he murdered Olamide Adeyooye. His behavior in the courtroom included outbursts and interruptions, spitting on the floor, and calling the judge by his first name. At one point, Wallace's attorney took him outside the courtroom to calm him down lest the judge order him to be bound and gagged. While awaiting his plea hearing, Maurice Wallace attacked a guard with a makeshift knife in an escape attempt. Thankfully in July 2006, Wallace pled guilty to all charges against him, saving the ordeal of a trial. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Maurice Wallace is incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center in Illinois.