Disclaimer: The article mentions death and violence. Readers’ discretion is advised.
A 14-year-old teenager from Cleveland, Ohio, named Gloria Pointer was raped and murdered by an unknown assailant on her way to school in December 1984. Unfortunately, at the time, due to a lack of technological advancements, the case could not be solved. However, after three decades, authorities finally discovered that the man behind the teenager’s death was a convicted rapist named Hernandez Warren.
To solve the case, investigators reportedly used DNA identification technology. After the case was reopened, they discovered a piece of DNA evidence from the victim’s clothing. This eventually led to Hernandez Warren’s arrest and imprisonment.
According to The Sun US, officials arrested Warren in 2013. A year later, the court found him guilty of the rape and first-degree aggravated murder of Gloria Pointer. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but Warren is eligible for parole in 2043. He is currently serving his sentence at the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, Ohio.
NBC Dateline showed Gloria Pointer’s tragic story on the January 5, 2024, episode titled ‘A Promise to Gloria.’ According to IMDb, the synopsis of the episode read, “A mother searches for answers in the unsolved murder of her 14-year-old daughter until new DNA technology changes everything.”
NBC Dateline: Gloria Pointer’s mother, Yvonne Pointer, visited Hernandez Warren in prison
According to WKYC studios, Gloria’s mother, Yvonne Pointer, visited Hernandez Warren in prison and even forgave him for his crime. Pointer shared, “To harbor unforgiveness really takes your life away, see, me forgiving him really showed him that you may have murdered Gloria but you didn’t get my life.”
She further stated, “I love that they have opened a national and international platform. Because there’s a lot of hurting people out there that may not realize that they can do something with that pain other than just sulk in it, you can rise up.”
Yvonne is now an anti-violence advocate, author, and community activist. In addition, she helps in collecting donations in her daughter’s name for African children.
