Woman Found Dead with Only Socks on Sought Bystanders’ Help During Kidnapping
An Alabama woman found dead on the street desperately sought the help of bystanders during her alleged kidnapping but received no help, according to police.
Genise Carter, of Birmingham, Ala., was found fatally shot on Jan. 15, the Birmingham Police Department said in a February press release.
Carter, 43, was found face down on a dead-end street with no clothing except for a pair of socks, Birmingham Detective Finke said, AL.com reported. She had allegedly been kidnapped and brutally beaten earlier that day, police say.
Jayden Gildersleeve, 21, and Michael Spellman, 62, were arrested separately days later in connection with her death, according to Birmingham Police.
Gildersleeve was arrested on Jan. 31 and charged with capital murder (kidnapping) and first-degree kidnapping, per police. Spellman was arrested on Feb. 1 and charged with capital murder (kidnapping), police said at the time.
The two appeared for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday where a judge ordered them held without bail, per AL.com. It’s unclear if they’ve retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.
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According to surveillance footage reviewed by Finke, Carter was allegedly kidnapped during a 30-minute ordeal at a gas station in Birmingham, Ala., AL.com reported.
Finke said the footage shows Carter arriving at the gas station around 4 a.m. on the day of the incident when Gildersleeve and Spellman allegedly followed her in, according to AL.com.
A few minutes later Carter was seen allegedly being forced out of the store and into a car at gunpoint by the men, who then drove away, Finke said, per the outlet. They soon returned to the station with “quite a few cars there,” Finke said, and a few minutes later Carter ran out of the car seeking help.
She allegedly tried to get help from multiple bystanders who were present, but only one person called 911, according to court testimony, AL.com reports. In an attempt to receive help, Carter also jumped into a stranger’s SUV and was seen “bear-hugging the driver” who she did not know, Finke said, per the outlet.
The men allegedly grabbed her and brought her back to their car, per Finke, and when she tried to escape into the store, they allegedly assaulted her, AL.com reported. She was “beaten on the ground in the doorway of the store,” he said.
Police were able to locate Gildersleeve based on information provided by the only witness who called 911, per AL.com.
Police have not released a motive for the murder. However, they did say Carter knew one of her alleged attackers.
