A case involving a Vermont man charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend in South Burlington will be featured this week on the fugitive television show “In Pursuit with John Walsh.”
Leroy Headley is facing a charge of second-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Anako “Annette” Lumumba in a home they shared on May 3, 2018. A warrant for Headley’s arrest on the murder charge was issued shortly after the shooting.
However, Headley, who last November was placed on the U.S. Marshals’ list of the country’s 15 most wanted fugitives, remains on the run.
“In Pursuit with John Walsh” will include a segment on the case in its second season premiere set to air at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, on Investigation Discovery.
The network Friday issued a 50-second clip of Walsh — who for years hosted the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” — talking about the Vermont case.
“He thinks he’s a ladies’ man,” Walsh said in the clip of Headley. “He tends to wear flashy clothes and he could be working in food trucks.”
A longer clip has been posted on the South Burlington Police Department Facebook page. The post from the department with the clip reads, “We will not stop looking for you, Leroy. No stone will go unturned. It’s time to end this. Turn yourself in. We will not stop… ever.”
That clip includes excerpts of interviews with Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, South Police Department Detective Chris Bataille,, South Burlington Police Officer Kelsey Monroe and Pierrette Lumumba, who is Anako Lumumba’s sister.
Headley and Lumumba had two children. She worked as a nurse in the Burlington area.
Authorities have said Headley has personal ties to Jamaica, where he was born. They also said he had connections to Las Vegas, Nevada, parts of Massachusetts, Florida, and possibly Montreal and Toronto in Canada.
A $25,000 reward has been put up by the U.S Marshals Service for information leading to Headley’s arrest. An additional $75,000 has been offered by other donors.
A separate warrant has also been issued for Headley in a case filed against him accusing him of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls.
Headley had been freed on conditions in that case at the time of Lumumba’s shooting death in May 2018, but was set to go on trial in a matter of days.
Months before the killing Lumumba told police she feared for her life. In a Dec. 2, 2017, request for an emergency restraining order, she wrote, “I am afraid that he physically threatens me because he is in possession of a loaded gun and what he says at times is very disturbing and unsettling.”
Police unsuccessfully tried to seize Headley’s firearms but gave up when the temporary relief from abuse order expired after Lumumba failed to appear in court to seek a permanent order.
Her death has raised questions about the handling of domestic violence cases in Vermont and their legal representation during court procedures.
Headley, who is considered armed and dangerous, is a 5 foot-7-inch black man with a slight Jamaican accent.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police or the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or online at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.