Samuel Lemmons

Do you know who murdered Samuel Lemmons?
Samuel “Sam” Lemmons was a 22-year-old man living in Durham, North Carolina, in the summer of 1990. At that young age, his life was cut short in a crime of shocking violence that has remained a mystery for more than three decades. His case is now one of the dozens of unsolved homicides that the Durham Police Department continues to investigate, hoping that a new lead will finally bring answers and justice to a family whose loss has never been forgotten.

The date of the murder was Friday, August 3, 1990. The crime took place at an apartment complex located at 2836 Chapel Hill Road, a busy thoroughfare connecting Durham with the neighboring university town. Investigators believe the brutal encounter began inside Sam’s own apartment. Evidence suggests that he was involved in a confrontation with an unknown individual, and the situation escalated into a violent attack.

The assault was vicious. According to police records, Sam was stabbed numerous times. The struggle was not contained within the four walls of his home. It appears to have spilled outside, where the final moments of Sam’s life unfolded. His body was later discovered concealed in some bushes near the apartment building. The discovery left a community in shock and a crime scene that offered few immediate clues to the identity of the person responsible for such a brutal act.

The Durham Police Department launched a homicide investigation, but the case proved difficult from the start. Over the years, detectives have pursued what leads they could, but no suspect or person of interest has ever been publicly named in connection with the murder. Without a clear motive or a definitive suspect, the investigation eventually went cold, joining the ranks of other unsolved cases that weigh heavily on law enforcement and the community. These are the cases that linger, where the absence of resolution compounds the tragedy of the initial loss.

For more than 30 years, the murder of Samuel Lemmons has remained an open and active cold case. The Durham Police Department’s Homicide Unit includes his file among those that are periodically reviewed, waiting for the day a new piece of information might break the silence. Advances in forensic technology have solved many such cases from that era, and the hope is always that a forgotten piece of evidence might yield a new clue. The department believes that even after so much time has passed, there are people who hold information that could be critical to solving the case.

As of today, no arrests have been made, and the case officially remains unsolved. The Durham Police Department continues to ask for the public’s help. They urge anyone with any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward. Individuals can contact the department’s cold case investigators directly by phone at 919-560-4118. For those who wish to remain anonymous, tips can be submitted to Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers offers cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest in felony cases, providing an incentive for people to share what they know without having to reveal their identity.