Joseph Wayne Wallace (July 29, 1989 – April 19, 1993) was a three-year-old boy who was murdered by his mother in their Chicago, Illinois apartment in 1993.
[1] The circumstances of Wallace's death and the ensuing public outcry precipitated large changes in the Illinois child welfare system and the Cook County juvenile court.
She avoided the death penalty which had been sought by the state of Illinois and was instead sentenced to life imprisonment.
[4] Joshua, Amanda Wallace's surviving son, spent years stuck in the child welfare system.
Shortly after Joseph's death Joshua began to display significant emotional and behavioral outbursts, either from witnessing his brother's murder or the continued disruption in his placements.