Shraman Mitra
In May 2018, the mother of two, Anako “Annette” Lumumba, was brutally shot to death in her South Burlington, Vermont, home. Moments after the murder, 911 operators got a call from a number that allegedly belonged to Anako’s boyfriend, Leroy Headly. Investigation Discovery’s ‘In Pursuit With John Walsh: American Nightmare’ charts the deadly murder and portrays how Leroy’s disappearance led to one of the biggest international manhunts. Let’s dig deep into the crime and find out where Leroy Headley is today, shall we?
Who Is Leroy Headley?
Originally from Jamaica, Leroy Headley resided in South Burlington, Vermont, with his girlfriend, Anako Lumumba. To outsiders, the couple were happy together and even shared two children. However, according to the show, Leroy and Anako were an on-again-off-again couple who had regular fights and altercations. Anako worked as a nurse and was described as a lively and helpful person who spread joy in the world.
On May 3, 2018, the police were alerted to a shooting in South Burlington when a man called 911 and claimed he had shot a woman. The man even gave operators the address to his home, and later the police discovered that the call was made from a number reportedly belonging to Leroy Headley. When police arrived at the crime scene, Leroy had already taken off. Sources also state that he called another family member to report his crime before fleeing. Inside the house, the police found Anako Lumumba shot dead in cold blood.
Authorities’ suspicions about Leroy were strengthened when his brother claimed Leroy contacted him to confess to the murder. Although Leroy’s then-whereabouts were unclear, the police decided to trace his missing car. The car was traced to Albany, New York, and finally located on May 18, 2018. According to sources, the murder weapon was also reportedly found in the same area.
Where Is Leroy Headley Now?
After locating his car in Albany, New York, the police began charting his possible escape routes and deducted that he was most likely to go to Philadelphia. However, they were also looking at other possibilities as the suspect had ties in several places, including Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Florida, and his home country of Jamaica. Moreover, officers also learned that Leroy had contacted his lawyer just eleven days after the murder. Although the lawyer asked his client to turn himself in and reported the call to authorities, Leroy was nowhere to be found.
For three months, the police kept canvassing for Leroy’s location until the US Marshals took over. Determined to bring the investigation to an end, authorities even turned to the public, requesting any leads or clues which they could follow up on. A reward was also announced for any information that would lead to Leroy’s capture. The interstate manhunt changed into a massive international one when officers received information that Leroy might have escaped to Jamaica.
In January 2020, Leroy was added to the US Marshals’ 15 most wanted list, and shortly after, he was traced to Negril, Jamaica. Ultimately, on February 2, 2020, Leroy was arrested from Negril in the Westmoreland Parish of Jamaica. Authorities even announced that Leroy had a second unrelated warrant for his arrest which stemmed from an alleged sexual assault of two minors.
After his arrest, Leroy was transported to Vermont and made to appear in front of a judge. He pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder as well as the unrelated sexual assault charges. According to sources, Leroy remains in custody as his trial has been delayed due to the Covid-19 crisis. However, reports state that the trial will resume once Burlington gives the green signal to resume jury trials.
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