Dateline NBC - Who was Gloria Pointer and what happened to her?

Gloria Pointer, the 14-year-old Cleveland student, had left her home for her school on December 6, 1984, at 7:00 a.m. only to be found assaulted and beaten to death hours later at the fire escape stairwell of an East 105th Street apartment.

While the death of the stellar student shocked the community of Christians and other students in Cleveland, the case turned cold for 30 years. Gloria's autopsy determined multiple blunt trauma impacts to her upper body and head.

The Dateline NBC episode titled A Promise to Gloria showcases the harrowing incident of Gloria Pointer's murder as it airs on January 5, 2024, at 10 p.m. EST.

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Who was Gloria Pointer? Details explored

Gloria Y. Pointer was born on February 28, 1970, to Yvonne Pointer in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. She was the eldest of Yvonne's three children. Gloria attended the Harry E. Davis Junior High School where she was a junior high school student and was supposed to receive an award for perfect attendance the day she went missing.

Gloria's mother shared,

"She was loved by her family. She was more than just the way she died. She was such a good girl. I never had a minute's trouble with her."

The 14-year-old had left for school by 7:00 a.m. on December 6, 1984. Pointer was supposed to meet her schoolmate on East 105th Street and walk to school together. Pointer left her East 114th Street home but failed to arrive on time. By 7:30 a.m., the friend had left for school without Gloria and subsequently informed the school authorities about the event. The walk from Gloria's Cleveland home to her school took 15 minutes in total, according to Cleveland.com.

Pointer had left her home early on December 6 so that she could stop by her friend's home to get a comb for a new hairstyle. Gloria was a cheer­leader at her school and would actively contribute to the school's welfare with her position on the student council. Per Cleveland.com, the school principal Bobby J. McDowell shared,

"She was just a fine student. We had a recognition pro­gram this morning and she was to be honored for perfect attendance."

Gloria Pointer's parents received a phone call from the principal of Harry E. Davis Junior High School around 8 a.m. He informed them of Gloria's absence and also announced over the school's public address system for any sightings of her. Gloria Pointer was to be seen alive the last time that morning she left for her school after which she was considered missing.

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What happened to Gloria Pointer?

Gloria was spotted by multiple eyewitnesses on her way to Harry E. Davis Junior High School on December 6, 1984. She was spotted on Orville Avenue walking towards her school while she was being followed by a black male with a brown coat and knit cap.

However, both individuals disappeared near 10515 Orville Avenue after which Gloria Pointer's body was discovered by the fire escape stairwell of an East 105th Street apartment building by the building custo­dian at approximately 10:30 a.m. - over three hours after she had set out for her school.

Pointer was s*xually assaulted, beaten to death and partially clothed in her shirt and socks while her other items of clothing lay nearby. According to court documents, the murder weapon used was a 45-inch piece of angle iron that weighed approximately 8 pounds.

Despite investigative efforts from Cleveland Police Homicide Detectives, the FBI, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office Cold Case Unit, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, the case turned cold due to a lack of leads. However, a breakthrough was made in 2013 when the DNA sample from Gloria's clothes linked Hernandez Warren to the brutal murder.

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Hernandez Warren, a convicted r*pist, pleaded guilty to the murder and r*pe and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.