The murder of Yolanda Holmes occurred at her residence on September 2, 2012. A 45-year-old single mother who managed a hair salon was discovered deceased in her apartment after being shot and stabbed.
She was brutally killed while in bed with Curtis Wyatt, her on-and-off boyfriend.
On the early morning of September 2, 2012, Chicago homicide detectives were called to the scene based on a 911 call.
Upon investigation, a damaged revolver was found on the bedroom floor and a kitchen block’s paring knife was missing.
Qaw’mane Wilson, an aspiring rapper and Yolanda’s son, visited his mother in the building just before 6 a.m.
The police investigators were trying to determine: Who was responsible for the death of a woman who owned a hair salon and was killed in her own home? Could it have been her partner or someone else residing in the house? Let’s investigate.
The Police Investigation Hit a Dead End
Wyatt contacted 911 and received medical attention after being found with injuries to his head and face.
During his conversation with the police, he mentioned that he had recently reconnected with Yolanda.
He alleged that Yolanda’s phone conversation awakened him, and then he heard gunfire. While attempting to subdue the assailant, he sustained injuries, but the suspect managed to escape. No fingerprints were recovered, and there was blood at the scene.
Yolanda’s blood was only present in the bedroom; based on the blood evidence in the apartment, Wyatt’s blood was found elsewhere.
There were no witnesses to the shooting as the police canvassed the building. Qaw’mane, with whom Wyatt also spoke, claimed he was unaware of his mother’s renewed relationship with Wyatt.
Wyatt agreed to undergo a polygraph examination, which refocused the detectives’ attention on him.
The results indicated that he was dishonest, but due to lack of evidence linking him to the murder, no arrest was made at that time.
Several weeks passed with no substantial leads. In addition to Yolanda’s husband, who was serving a life sentence for a double homicide, detectives explored every lead but found nothing substantial.
The possibility of Yolanda’s murder being an act of retaliation was considered, but this line of inquiry proved fruitless.
Phone Records Provided a Lead
It took a year for the detectives to obtain a solid lead from phone records. They discovered that Yolanda had two phones.
It was soon determined that the phone number provided by Qaw’mane was Yolanda’s second registered phone number.
When Spencer entered Yolanda’s building on the night of the crime, Qaw’mane acknowledged knowing him from the area and identified him as the perpetrator.
Who Murdered Yolanda Holmes, and For What Reason?
Qaw’mane then confessed to the investigators that the plan when Spencer entered his mother’s building was merely a robbery.
He sought to acquire her life insurance policy, business, and car because he was unemployed and his career as a rapper had stagnated.
As per nbcchicago.com, Qaw’mane withdrew approximately $70,000 from his deceased mother’s accounts and spent it on luxury items and vehicles.
Qaw’mane Wilson was arrested on December 24, 2013, for the murder of his mother. In January 2020, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
