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DOZING STUDENT KILLED IN FIRE AT APARTMENT
Author: OLIVIA FORTSON, Staff Writer

A pile of wet, sooty clothes. A pair of penny loafers. A pocketbook. Algebra notes written in a distinct, neat hand.

That's all that's left of Valencia Jumper's belongings after a fire early Tuesday left her dead and destroyed her apartment.

According to the Charlotte arson task force, the fire occurred at 1:30 a.m. at Greenbryre Apartments near Sharon Amity Road and Central Avenue.

``It was an accidental fire,'' said arson investigator Frank Coley. ``She fell asleep and left something cooking on the stove.''

Jumper, 21, a student at Johnson C. Smith University, was the fourth person to die in a fire this year in Charlotte.

The first call came to 911 at 1:56 a.m. By the time firefighters arrived, all they could do was extinguish the flames and help evacuate neighbors. No one else in the 10-unit building was injured, although one firefighter was treated at a hospital for a burned hand and released.

Al and Kimberly Casella, who lived behind Jumper in the same building, were alerted to the fire when their dog, Jake, woke them with his barking.

``I smelled smoke, and when I opened the front door the hallway was pitch black, and soot and smoke just poured in,'' said Al Casella. He and his wife grabbed their 21-month-old daughter, Caitlin, and ran to their balcony, where firefighters rescued them.

All of the building's 10 units were damaged by smoke. The local Red Cross helped put residents up in hotel rooms for the night. Greenbryre manager Dee Coggins plans to temporarily house them in other apartments in the complex until their units can be repaired.

``We're just lucky this is an older property with steps and balconies made out of metal and concrete,'' said Coggins. ``If they had been made of wood, a lot of the residents wouldn't have been able to get out.''

A native of Columbia, Jumper was a rising senior at JCSU, where she majored in political science. Friends and family remember her as an energetic person who was well-loved by everyone.

``She was just one of those people who would do anything for you,'' said Shante Tillman, a neighbor and friend. ``If you asked her for something . . . she would give it to you.''

Jumper held down two jobs, as a sales associate in the junior department at Hecht's at SouthPark and as a cashier at Food Lion on Central Avenue.

``She was a hard worker with a great personality - just real friendly to everybody,'' said Shari Hartman, customer service manager at the grocery. ``We've already had a couple of customers inquire about her and say that they were going to miss her.''

Members of Jumper's family say they will never get over their loss.

``She was my baby, the youngest of five children,'' said her mother, Surlina Jumper. ``She was just a very lovable child.''

Here's another one regarding Ms. Valencia Jumper's death from the State v. Wallace transcript:

Valencia Jumper Murder

Quote:

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In August 1993, Valencia Jumper was a senior at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, studying political science. She also worked at Food Lion on Central Avenue and at Hecht's in South Park Mall. On 9 August 1993, a friend of Jumper's, Zachery Douglas, spoke with Jumper on the phone about meeting later that night. Subsequently, Douglas arrived at Jumper's apartment in the early morning hours of 10 August 1993 and noticed smoke coming from her apartment. Douglas testified that he turned the door knob, and the door was unlocked, so he opened the door. Douglas stated that there was too much smoke for him to enter the apartment any further. Douglas then alerted a neighbor, who called the fire department.
As firefighters arrived on the scene to fight the fire, firefighter Dennis Arney entered the kitchen and noticed that a burner on the stove had been left on. Based on examinations at the fire scene, the information provided by firefighters, and the observed pattern the fire traveled, the investigators believed the fire originated from a pot left burning on the stove. Firefighters found Jumper's body in the bedroom of her apartment.
On 10 August 1993, Dr. Sullivan performed an autopsy on Jumper's body. Jumper's body was extensively charred. Dr. Sullivan was told that the fire was thought to have been accidentally caused by a pot of beans left burning on the stove. However, he found no soot in Jumper's airway, indicating there was no significant inhalation of smoke during the fire. Afterlearning there was no carbon monoxide in Jumper's blood, Dr. Sullivan listed thermal burns as the cause of death. After defendant's confession, Dr. Sullivan reexamined the Jumper autopsy and amended the cause of Jumper's death. Dr. Sullivan testified that the cause of Jumper's death was strangulation.
Defendant confessed to Jumper's murder. He indicated that Jumper was like a little sister to him and that they often spent time with one another. On the night in question, defendant stated that he stopped by Jumper's apartment and that they talked for a while and then defendant left. Defendant later returned to Jumper's apartment and asked her to call McKnight because they had gotten into a fight. When Jumper reached toward the phone, defendant put her in a choke hold. Defendant told Jumper to go to the bedroom. Jumper begged defendant not to hurt her and stated she would do anything he wanted. Jumper removed her clothes. Defendant and Jumper engaged in oral sex and sexual intercourse. Afterwards, while Jumper was putting her clothes back on, defendant put a towel around her neck and choked her until she passed out. Defendant stated that Jumper started bleeding from the nose, so he kept the pressure on the towel for about five minutes until he felt no pulse. Then defendant wiped his fingerprints from certain areas of the apartment. Defendant went into the kitchen and noticed a bottle of rum, so he took the bottle to the bedroom and poured the rum on Jumper's body, on the bed, and on the floor nearby. Defendant then went back into the kitchen, opened a can of beans, put the beans in a pot on the stove, and turned the stove on high. Defendant took the battery out of the smoke detector. Defendant went back into the bedroom, lit a match, and threw it on Jumper's rum-soaked body beforeleaving the apartment. Defendant returned to the apartment twenty minutes later. When he saw smoke rushing out the door, he left and went home. Defendant admitted taking jewelry from Jumper's body and pawning it in a local pawn shop.

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What are your views regarding this?

Stephanie B.

To all members,

Thanks for the compliments on my drawing. And as for Mr. Wallace, he is a beast in sheep's clothing pretending to love women but he really doesn't have any love for us at all.

Stephanie B.

This tribute came from TaraBaker.com website. It's a tribute to her best friend Valencia Jumper.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Greetings:

I was sitting here reading the News Daily newspaper and read the article about your loved one. My
best friend was murdered back in 1993 in Charlotte, NC by a man that she had known for 3 and a half
years. He had murdered 10-11 other women prior to murdering my best friend. He was someone that she
had trusted and let in her home on many previous occasions. Yet, on this one day he came by and took
her life and then set her apartment on fire and left. At first we thought that she had died in the
fire and for 3 months her family and friends grieved for the senseless death of our beloved Val, but
later this man tried to kill another girl and she survived and went to the police. Once he was
captured, he began to confess of all the murders. He confessed to killing my best friend, who's
death had been ruled accidental in the beginning. Now her family had to endure the agonizing and
heart-wrenching details of what their daughter's last moments had been.
Valencia Michelle Jumper was a senior one semester away from graduating from Johnson C. Smith
University in Charlotte. She was from Columbia, South Carolina and had never been out on her own
until she went off to college. I understand the pain and frustration that your family is going
through and send my prayers to each of you in hopes that you will find some consolation. Please
advise the police to investigate her friends or anyone that was close to her at school or work. We
never looked at Val's friends, nor did the police. Had they investigated that avenue from the
beginning we may have found out sooner that Val had not fallen asleep with a pot on the stove, but
that someone had been in there with her and had done such a horrible thing such as this to her.
I just felt compelled to write to you, because the details of this were so similar to my best
friends death some years prior.
Well, I wish each of you continued peace and until the person that committed this senseless crime is
captured continue to pray and lift everything up to God. He won't let this go unanswered, I know for
myself. Be continually blessed!

Always in His service,
Destinee S. Means, President
American Humanics Student Association

Source: TaraBaker.com
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Stephanie