Sheryl Lyn Stack

Sheryl Lyn Stack was a 20-year-old woman whose life was just beginning to unfold. Remembered as a pretty and loved young woman, she was the daughter of William "Bill" and Marilyn Stack. Her parents, who owned a family equipment rental business in Bracey, Virginia, would outlive their daughter by many years. Sheryl, a white female, was working as a waitress at a Steak & Ale restaurant in south Richmond, Virginia, in the autumn of 1993.

In the early morning hours of October 8, 1993, Sheryl and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Edward Martin, returned to the Steak & Ale parking lot after getting something to eat following their shifts. Sheryl was in her Volvo sedan and Edward in his red sports car. A night auditor at an adjacent motel saw the couple talking and kissing beside their cars after 2:00 a.m. About 20 to 25 minutes later, the employee heard two loud noises, seconds apart, and saw a third car leaving the area. He noticed Sheryl’s Volvo was still there with its engine running and lights on, but Edward's car was gone. As he walked closer, he discovered a horrific scene and immediately called the police.

Richmond Police officers arrived to find Sheryl Stack and Edward Martin lying face down in a pool of blood, both shot in the head. They were still conscious, their hands touching, trying to communicate with each other. The passenger door of Sheryl's Volvo was open, and the front seat had been ransacked, her purse and personal items in disarray. Investigators found a .45 caliber cartridge case and two bullets nearby. Both victims were rushed to the hospital. Sheryl arrived in a comatose state and died from her injuries two days later, on October 10, 1993, without ever regaining consciousness.

Edward Martin survived the execution-style shooting but suffered devastating, lifelong injuries. A neurosurgeon testified that the bullet damaged the left side of his brain, resulting in the loss of his left eye, partial paralysis on the right side of his body, and impaired speech. His comprehension, memory, and intelligence, however, remained intact. He was able to testify and provide a harrowing account of the attack. He recalled that a man, whom he later identified as Andre L. Graham, approached their car with a gun and ordered them out. Graham directed Edward to give his wallet and car keys to an unarmed accomplice. As the accomplice went through their cars, Graham told Sheryl and Edward to lie on the ground and close their eyes, promising he wouldn't hurt them. They complied, but were each shot in the head as they lay helpless on the pavement.

The investigation led police to Andre L. Graham. His girlfriend at the time, Priscilla Booker, testified that she saw Graham with Edward Martin's red car on the morning of the shooting. When she mentioned a news report about the crime, Graham became upset and told her he "knew who did it, but he didn't." A few days later, she found a box containing over 200 of Edward's CDs in her car trunk; Graham claimed he bought them for $10. In December 1993, while Graham was jailed on another charge, he called Booker and told her to get rid of a bag in a closet. A deputy sheriff overheard the call and reported it. Police searched the apartment and found a heavily oiled .45 caliber pistol.

Andre L. Graham was charged with the capital murder of Sheryl Stack, attempted robbery, malicious wounding of Edward Martin, and related firearm offenses. During his trial, Edward Martin's testimony was crucial. The jury convicted Graham on all charges. For the murder of Sheryl Stack, he was sentenced to death. He also received a life sentence for his other crimes, including the maiming of Edward Martin.

Graham and his suspected accomplice, Mark Arlo Sheppard, were also implicated in another brutal crime later that year. They were convicted of the November 28, 1993, murders of Richard and Rebecca Rosenbluth in their Chesterfield County home. Graham received a life sentence for those murders, while Sheppard was executed in January 1999. Sheppard was never charged in connection with Sheryl Stack's murder. The case against Andre Graham for the murder of Sheryl Stack is considered solved and closed.