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Bleeding Hearts Lead to Bleeding Bodies: The Solution To Violent Crime in America
A perspective from Dale Hodson
Editor’s note: This “Viewpoints” submission has been updated with a follow-up, found below the original text, added on 12/13/2022.
When I worked for a large computer company, I’d be called on to help out with “angry” customers. These were customers who’d reported problems with software, and yet their problems hadn’t been resolved for months and months.
I was pretty good at solving these problems, so I would try to help others at our company understand how to do the same.
The message I kept hearing from co-workers was: “we’re swamped, because we have so many problems – we can’t get to them all.”
Because these co-workers were “swamped,” they would always provide a “temporary” work-around for a customer’s problem, rather than solving the actual software issue. So a week or a month or a year later, a different customer would run into the same problem.
Rinse, repeat.
I tried to get co-workers to understand that if they instead fixed the actual software issue, they’d solve the customer’s problem forever, and they (and all customers) would never see the problem again. Ever.
By solving each software problem one-by-one, you’d eventually run out of problems. And then, you’d never be “swamped” with too many problems.
So it is with serious crime in America. If you incarcerate serious criminals every time, for their full sentences, you eventually run out of criminals on the street.
Crime problem: solved.
I hear heads exploding all across liberal Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh from me stating the most obvious of solutions. The bleeding hearts will want to lecture me that “we can’t just arrest and convict our way out of our crime problems.”
They’re wrong. If serious criminals are in prison, they’re not robbing and killing, you and me, on the streets.
We hear the mayors and police chiefs of local towns trying to figure out why serious crime is up and how to reduce shootings and murders. They wring their hands and talk about “connecting” with the community and more “outreach” to troubled youth.
But they never pursue the most direct approach, which is guaranteed to work: put serious criminals in jail, every time, for their full sentences. You eventually run out of serious criminals.
Let’s look at two very recent cases, both from Chapel Hill.
Anthony Wuanya Holman and Michael Jerome Henry have been charged in two separate murder cases, both of which occurred near the University Gardens apartments in Chapel Hill.
News stories about the two murders and related charges:
https://www.townofchapelhill.org/Home/Components/News/News/18114/4048
https://www.wral.com/man-charged-with-murder-of-19-year-old-in-chapel-hill-shooting/20436946/
https://www.townofchapelhill.org/Home/Components/News/News/18192/4048
https://www.wral.com/durham-man-arrested-in-shooting-near-unc-campus-that-left-1-dead-2-injured/20508714/
You’re not told, at least in any depth, that both suspects (two different crimes, two different dates) have extensive previous criminal charges and convictions.
Anthony Wuanya Holman, previously charged with seven (7) crimes, has spent no time in jail for his convictions.
Michael Jerome Henry, previously charged with twenty-seven (27) crimes, has spent only 11.5 months in prison for his convictions. Under one year incarcerated, for twenty-seven (27) crimes, most of which were felonies.
And now both are charged with murder, among many other charges.
If they are convicted of these current murder charges, these will be examples of more failures of the light prosecution and sentencing that occurs within the Orange and Durham County Judicial systems.
I wonder what the families of the victims think…
Again, for those who proclaim: “we can’t just arrest and convict our way out of our crime problems,” you’re wrong. If you arrest and convict and incarcerate repeat offenders EVERY SINGLE TIME, you eventually run out of criminals. Not a difficult concept to understand.
Details about the two men charged in these two murder cases:
Anthony Wuanya Holman
At only 22 years of age, Anthony Wuanya Holman has previously been charged with seven (7) different crimes in 2018.
His North Carolina criminal record: https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=160829
Current charges:
And now, he is charged with first degree murder.
22CR279115 Orange County (2022) – Chapel Hill: FIRST DEGREE MURDER
Past charges (served no prison time):
For these charges, he was convicted in 2019, and for that he earned a criminal record in North Carolina. He simply received “probation” for these crimes. So, for these seven crimes, Anthony Wuanya Holman received probation (no time in jail or prison).
- 18CR050206 Orange County (2018): COMMUNICATING THREATS, CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPON
- 18CR053475 Orange County (2018): MISDEMEANOR LARCENY, MISDEMEANOR PROBATION VIOL
- 18CR713860 Orange County (2018): MISDEMEANOR LARCENY
- 18CR713859 Orange County (2018): MISDEMEANOR LARCENY, MISDEMEANOR PROBATION VIOL
Michael Jerome Henry
At only 29 years of age, Michael Jerome Henry has previously been charged with twenty-seven (27) different crimes from 2013 through 2019.
His North Carolina criminal record: https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1255779
Current charges:
And now, he is charged with first degree murder and many other charges, from a variety of crimes across three counties.
22CR306887 Orange County (2022) – Chapel Hill:
- Felony-FIRST DEGREE MURDER
- Felony-DIS WEAP OCC DWELL/MOVING VEH
- Felony-ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER
- Misdemeanor-ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON
22CR308197 Orange County (2022) – Chapel Hill:
- Felony-ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER
- Felony-AWDW INTENT TO KILL
22CR706709 Wake County (2022):
- Misdemeanor-RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER
22CR202564 Wake County (2022):
- Misdemeanor-ASSAULT ON A FEMALE
- Misdemeanor-BATTERY OF UNBORN CHILD
21CR724030 Wake County (2021):
- Misdemeanor-INJURY TO PERSONAL PROPERTY
22CR311134 Durham County (2022):
- Felony-PWISD COCAINE
- Misdemeanor-POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
Past charges (served a total of only 11.5 months for 27 different charges, nearly all of which are felonies):
For these charges, he was convicted in 2013 through 2020, and for those he earned a criminal record in North Carolina. So, for these 27 charges, Michael Jerome Henry received a total prison time of only 11.5 months.
13CRS053583 Durham County (2013):
- ROBBERY WITH DANGEROUS WEAPON
- CONSP ROBBERY DANGRS WEAPON
- FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION (7 counts)
- VIOLATION REPORT/DELEGATED AUTH
- DELEGATED AUTHORITY VIOLATION REPORT (2 counts)
14CRS058241 Durham County (2014):
- FELONY POSSESSION OF COCAINE
- POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
- DELEGATED AUTHORITY VIOLATION REPORT (3 counts)
- FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION (5 counts)
17CRS001954 Durham County (2017):
- POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON
- PROBATION MODIFICATION
- FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION (2 counts)
19CRS051037 Durham County (2019):
- POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON
I had my own run-in, on a much less serious matter, with an 18-year old in Chapel Hill who was charged with Felony “Larceny From The Person” just 18 months before he stole from me. His felony charge (19CR051365) was turned into a “deferred prosecution,” for which he had to undergo some counseling about “don’t do bad things.” No conviction, no jail time, just a slap on the wrist.
Amazingly, exactly seven (7) days after his Felony Larceny “counseling” was completed (no conviction recorded), he stole a couple of political signs from me in October 2020 in Chapel Hill. Clearly, much less important than the murders committed by the two men mentioned earlier. I pursued charges for Larceny (21CR050417) and the defendant was convicted, and now has a criminal record:
https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1663277
What was amazing, in my situation, was that it took the Chapel Hill Police Department about three months to finally charge this perpetrator, even though the CHPD had clear video evidence of the crime, had identified the perp, had interviewed the perp, and the perp had admitted to his involvement within a week of committing the crime. I had to meet with the Chapel Hill Chief of Police twice to finally get charges filed.
My experience is that the Orange County prosecutor’s office (and, I expect, Durham and Wake counties) lean over backwards to coddle criminals. And I know the judges do. See for yourself sometime, by watching criminal proceedings for Orange County here:
I used to think that public defenders were on the side of the defendants, but that prosecutors would be on the side of the victim, and that judges would be neutral – absolutely not the case any longer. They are ALL on the side of the defendant.
The solution to violent crime is simple, easy, and quick: Arrest and convict and incarcerate repeat serious offenders EVERY SINGLE TIME and make them serve the full sentences defined by the Legislature.
The bleeding hearts and liberals reading this article will moan about how cruel this approach would be and how naive I am, but they have no solution. Adopt my approach and serious crime rates would drop like a stone.
Dale Hodson
Chapel Hill, NC
Previously in Viewpoints, I described how “bleeding hearts” lead to “bleeding bodies:”
https://chapelboro.com/town-square/viewpoints-the-solution-to-violent-crime-in-america
In another “near miss,” we have a knife wielding career criminal, this time arrested on the UNC Chapel Hill campus:
https://chapelboro.com/news/crime/unc-police-make-arrest-after-disturbance-at-campus-bojangles
The person arrested is yet another long time career criminal: RICHARD DONNELL MANGUM
1 – His Conviction History
https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0254865
2 – His Current Cases
22CR358266 (Orange County)
ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON (4 counts)
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS
RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER
WEAPON ON EDUC PROP-NOT GUN
22CR001626 (Durham County)
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS
3 – He has at least fourteen (14) prior court cases, reaching back to 1990, all in Wake County:
90CR033559
93CR049332
98CR035527
99CR045112
99CR047154
99CR047156
01CR007250
01CR060580
03CR064800
03CR101122
04CR106716
08CR026992
09CR047700
10CR212893
You can look up any of those cases by entering the County name and then the case number, here:
https://www3.nccourts.org/onlineservices/notifications/menu.sp
Why do prosecutors and judges let these career criminals loose?
This current case involves a man threatening at least two people at knife point – do we have to wait for him to murder someone to finally get him off the streets?
Do UNC parents need to worry that this man will be released before trial or not even be incarcerated if he is convicted?
When is enough, enough?
As described in the previous article, the solution is simple: If you incarcerate serious criminals every time, for their full sentences, you eventually run out of criminals on the street. Crime problem: solved.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
