Hi-Fi Murders

The Crime Unfolds
The nightmare began just before closing time at the Hi-Fi Shop when six men arrived in two separate vans. These men, including 21-year-old Dale Pierre and 19-year-old William Andrews—both Air Force servicemen—entered the store armed and ready to commit a robbery. While two stayed behind in the vans, four men stormed into the store, immediately taking the employees, 20-year-old Stanley Walker and 18-year-old Michelle Ansley, hostage. Both were bound and taken to the basement as the men proceeded to loot the store.

Michelle Ansley, whose full name was Sherry Michelle Ansley, had only been working at the store for a week. She was engaged to be married in August, making her tragic fate even more heartbreaking. Tragically, a 16-year-old high school student named Byron “Cortney” Naisbitt became the next hostage when he stopped by the store to thank Stanley for allowing him to park his car there. Soon after, Stanley’s father, Orren Walker, and Cortney’s mother, Carol Naisbitt, arrived at the shop, concerned about their children’s whereabouts. Both were captured and tied up with the other hostages, bringing the total to five.

Torture and Desperation
What followed was a series of unimaginable acts of cruelty. The men decided to force their hostages to drink liquid Drano, a drain cleaner, believing it would kill them instantly. The idea had been inspired by a scene from the movie Magnum Force, where a character dies after drinking Drano. However, the reality was far different. The chemical burned their victims' mouths, throats, and tongues, causing excruciating pain but failing to kill them as quickly as the assailants had hoped.

When this method proved ineffective, Dale Pierre took matters into his own hands. He shot Cortney and Carol in the head, killing Carol instantly, while Cortney miraculously survived, though he would never be the same. Pierre then turned his attention to Stanley, killing him with a single shot. Orren was shot twice but survived both attempts on his life. Tragically, Pierre then assaulted Michelle before shooting her in the back of the head, ending her life.

The brutality didn’t end there. Orren, still alive despite the horrific injuries he sustained, witnessed Pierre and Andrews jamming a pen into his ear, puncturing his eardrum and pushing the pen through to his throat. Miraculously, Orren survived this, too, and later provided crucial testimony during the trial.

The Aftermath and Trial
It took three agonizing hours for the bodies to be discovered. Orren’s wife and other son, worried when they didn’t return home, went to the store and called the police after hearing noises from the basement. Despite his injuries, Orren was able to give a detailed description of the attackers. The investigation quickly zeroed in on Pierre and Andrews, thanks in part to an anonymous tip from an Air Force employee and the discovery of stolen items linked to the crime.

Three of the six men involved were convicted, with Pierre and Andrews receiving the death penalty. Pierre was executed by lethal injection in 1987, and Andrews followed in 1992, despite widespread debate over his culpability since he hadn’t directly killed any of the victims. The racial dynamics of the trial, including the all-white jury, added another layer of controversy, as did the note passed to a juror saying, “Hang the N.”

The Survivors
Two people survived the horrific ordeal, though their lives were forever changed. Cortney Naisbitt, who suffered severe brain damage, lived with chronic pain and memory loss until his death at 44. Orren Walker, who testified at the trial, lived with the haunting memories of that night until his death at 69.

The Hi-Fi Murders remain a stark reminder of the cruelty that can emerge from human beings. The 50th anniversary of the murders in 2024 brought renewed attention to this dark chapter, with those involved recalling the horror and the lasting impact it had on their lives.