‘He will kill again. He likes it’: Serial killer sentenced to life in prison more than 20 years after crime spree

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS/Gray News) - A South Carolina man convicted in a series of four murders in two states more than 20 years ago has finally learned his fate.

Quincy Allen, 44, of Columbia, was initially sentenced to death for two of those murders in South Carolina, but that punishment was overturned in 2022.

Allen agreed to a new sentence and provided renewed closure for the victims’ families.

Allen’s attorneys and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office were set to appear in court next week, but because both parties reached a sentencing agreement that was signed by a judge on Monday, his new sentence was announced.

He was given life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Law enforcement referred to Allen as a serial killer after shooting 44-year old Dale Hall and burning her body on July 10, 2002.

Just a few weeks later on Aug. 8, 22-year-old Jedidiah Harr was shot in the head. The next day, Allen killed two men at a convenience store in North Carolina.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott recalls the horror residents in the area faced in 2002.

“It’s the terror we had in our community. People were scared to death. We had a serial killer that had gone wild, and it scared our community. Everybody was scared,” Lott said.

In the courtroom on Monday, the solicitor’s office presented the judge with facts surrounding the case and brought forth a victim impact statement from Harr’s brother, Scott Farwell.

“Jedidiah was kind, funny and always had a smile on his face,” Farwell told the judge.

Farwell was the only representative of victims to appear in court on Monday.

Lott said it’s because of the system.

“He’s a lucky man because the system wore the victims down. As you heard today, they just didn’t want to be here or they said, ‘We are tired.’ This is 22 years later. They are tired and the system shouldn’t be this way,” Lott said.

Allen was originally sentenced to death, but his sentence was appealed because of several factors, including his mental health. Attorneys presented evidence in court that showed he had attempted suicide attempts, had schizophrenia and went through an abusive childhood.

“He will kill again. He likes it. He likes it and he will do it again,” Lott added.

Allen waived all appellate rights, postconviction relief rights and all review methods by signing the sentencing agreement on Monday.

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