Autumn Wallace, 9


Maria Del Rosio Alfaro


Summary of Offense:

In July 1992, Maria del Rosio "Rosie" Alfaro became the first woman sentenced to death in Orange County, when she was condemned for stabbing to death nine-year-old Autumn Wallace, more than 50 times during a June 15, 1990 burglary in Anaheim to get money for drugs. Autumn was home alone cutting out paper dolls when she heard the knock on the door and saw Alfaro, an acquaintance of her older sister's. In an interview years later, Alfaro said she had to kill Autumn because the girl knew who she was. Linda Wallace, Autumn's mother, found her daughter's body hours later in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Alfaro remains on death row as her case is being appealed in the federal court system.