Dustin Wallace was a sixteen year old teen killer from Oregon who would sexually assault and murder a five year old girl
According to court documents Dustin Wallace would sexually assault five year old Sahara Dwight who he would then smother killing the child
Dustin Wallace would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in parole
Dustin Wallace Now
| Offender Name: | Wallace, Dustin Michael |
| Age: | 29 |  | DOB: | 03/1994 | | Location: | Snake River Correctional Institution |
| Gender: | Male | | Race: | White | | Status: | AIC |
| Height: | 6′ 03” | | Hair: | Brown | | Institution Admission Date: | 09/15/2015 |
| Weight: | 230 lbs | | Eyes: | Hazel | | Earliest Release Date: | No Parole |
Dustin Wallace Case
A judge has decided that the teen who raped and murdered a 5-year-old Roseburg girl will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Randy Garrison handed down his ruling on Tuesday at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing for Dustin Wallace, 18, who was convicted for the assault that happened back in 2010.
The courtroom was almost completely full as the judge handed down his decision.
Wallace waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the sentencing to be decided by Judge Garrison.
Judge Garrison became emotional at times while he talked about the facts of the case.
He spoke about Sahara’s last moments, in which he said the girl tried to fight Wallace off. “Then he started messing with her after he watched her, and she fought him. She fought him mightily, she put up a heck of a fight,” Garrison said.
Garrison went on to speak about Wallace’s actions after he killed the girl.
He spoke about one of the most disturbing things that happened after Wallace killed the girl. “We know that after the event, he, Dustin Wallace, says something that is so inappropriate that it sticks out in our minds, hugely. That is when Sahara’s mother is hysterically trying to deal with the death of her daughter, Mr. Wallace told her to, “Shut up.”
Wallace’s father could be seen lowering his head and breaking down into tears during the judge’s comments.
He handed down the life without parole sentence, and gasps could be heard in the courtroom. “Justice requires that Mr. Wallace not be released on parole.”
Sentencing hearing
The defense called Wallace’s mother Lisa to testify last week. The questioning centered on Wallace’s mental health.
She and Dustin were all tears, as she described his inability to socialize with others since he was 5-years-old. five years old. “Dustin had difficulty socially with other children beginning since kindergarten,” she said. “Dustin had been in counseling and in to doctors his whole life.”
Lisa also answered questions pertaining to an adult male by the name of Kevin, who was in his early 20’s at the time. Kevin befriended Dustin when he was 15, and Dustin would watch pornographic websites with this male, according to his mother.
Lisa says she sent Dustin to a facility where they teach kids respect and how to psychologically deal with behavior and social skills.
His mother says Dustin was diagnosed with ADD, ADD aggressive, asbergers and depression.
During testimony, some incidents involving Dustin were discussed, such as him allegedly putting his sister’s dog into a pillow case and swinging it around. Also discussed was an incident where he climbed into the shower with his sister when she was 13-years-old.
There was also an incident where Dustin allegedly cut the panties off of a girl who was staying the night.
Dr. Jerry Larsen, a psychiatrist and co-writer of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health, also testified at the hearing Wednesday.
Dr. Larsen testified that if Wallace had been on his medication at the time of the incident, Wallace most likely would have not committed the crime. “Had he been on his meds, he would have been asleep and this would not have happened,” the doctor said.
Wallace was noticeably emotional on Tuesday, as the judge gave his decision to the court.
Wallace was convicted back in June for the rape and murder of the girl. The defense argued that Wallace did not intend to kill Sahara Dwight and accidentally smothered her as he molested her.
Prosecutors had argued Wallace killed the girl and then lied about what happened in an attempt to get away with the crime.
Judge Randy Garrison said the video of Wallace being interviewed by police after Dwight’s death shows the teen had no remorse for his actions as he spun elaborate lies about what took place that night.
Garrison found Dustin Wallace guilty on six counts of aggravated murder and one count each of first degree rape, sexual assault and unlawful sexual penetration.
https://kval.com/news/local/teen-who-raped-and-murdered-girl-5-gets-life-without-parole
Dustin Wallace Sentencing
A man convicted of raping and killing a 5-year-old girl in Southern Oregon has been sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Randy Garrison said Tuesday in Roseburg that 18-year-old Dustin Wallace poses too great a risk to the public ever to be allowed free.
“Justice dictates that Dustin Wallace not be released on parole,” Garrison told a packed courtroom.
The Roseburg News-Review reported Garrison had two choices: life without parole, or life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
In the courtroom were members of Wallace’s family and relatives of the victim, 5-year-old Sahara Dwight.
Wallace was a juvenile in 2010 when he killed Sahara Dwight, so he was not eligible for the death penalty.
At the time, he was visiting his father, who was living with the girl’s mother.
His attorneys said Wallace has suffered from mental health problems since he was 5, and a psychiatrist testified that Wallace probably would not have killed Sahara if he had been taking medication, which he left at home in Oklahoma when he came to Oregon to visit his father.
The medication relieved insomnia, helped Wallace think more clearly and lowered his sexual urges, the doctor said.
Prosecutors said he’s shown no remorse.
The sentence came after a weekend of deliberation for Garrison, who said he needed to weigh arguments from Wallace’s defense attorneys that he be allowed the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Wallace’s mother made a similar plea, but prosecutors argued that Wallace would pose a risk even after incarceration
https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2012/11/roseburg_man_sentenced_to_life.html
Dustin Wallace Videos
Dustin Wallace: The Oregon Teen Who Raped and Murdered 5-Year-Old Sahara Dwight (2010)
On the night of July 9, 2010, in a quiet home in Roseburg, Oregon, 5-year-old Sahara Grace Dwight went to bed in her own bedroom. Hours later she was dead — sexually assaulted, smothered, and punched in the stomach by a teenage houseguest.
The killer was not a stranger. It was 16-year-old Dustin Michael Wallace, the son of her mother’s boyfriend, who was visiting from Oklahoma for the summer.
Two years later, a Douglas County judge would look at Wallace and say the words that defined the case: “Justice dictates that Dustin Wallace not be released on parole.”
Who Is Dustin Michael Wallace?
Dustin Michael Wallace was born in March 1994. At the time of the murder he was sixteen years old from Oregon when he raped and murdered a five year old girl.
According to court documents, Dustin Wallace entered the five year old girl’s bedroom and began to touch her inappropriately and when the child began to cry out he smothered the five year old girl and punched her in the stomach. The little girl died at the scene.
Wallace was not from Roseburg. He lived in Oklahoma with his mother, Lisa, and had come to Oregon to visit his father, who was living with Sahara’s mother, making them a blended family for the summer.
He had a documented history of severe mental health and behavioral issues dating back to kindergarten.
The Victim: Sahara Grace Dwight
Sahara Dwight was 5 years old, described by family as bright, bubbly, and full of life. She lived in Roseburg with her mother and younger siblings in a home she shared with Wallace’s father during the summer of 2010.
On July 9, 2010, Tyler Dwight’s 5-year-old daughter, Sahara Dwight, was taken from him in a horrific crime. Dustin Wallace, who was 16 years old at the time, was later convicted on multiple charges, including the murder and rape of Sahara Dwight.
Her murder shocked Douglas County and made statewide headlines because of the extreme age disparity and the betrayal of trust.
The Night of the Murder: July 9, 2010
According to court documents, Dustin Wallace would sexually assault five year old Sahara Dwight who he would then smother killing the child.
The timeline presented at trial was chilling in its simplicity:
- Late evening: The household went to bed. Wallace was sleeping in a common area of the home.
- Sometime after midnight: Wallace entered Sahara’s bedroom. Judge Randy Garrison later described it: “Then he started messing with her after he watched her, and she fought him. She fought him mightily, she put up a heck of a fight.”
- The assault: Wallace began sexually touching her. When Sahara cried out, he smothered her to silence her, and punched her in the stomach.
- The cover-up: Dustin Wallace attempted to tell police that he accidentally smothered the girl when he began to sexually assault her.
Sahara died of asphyxiation in her bed. Wallace then returned to his sleeping area as if nothing had happened.
The Morning After: “Shut Up”
When Sahara’s mother discovered her daughter unresponsive the next morning, the house erupted in panic. Paramedics were called, but Sahara was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was in this moment that Wallace revealed the lack of empathy that would haunt the case. Judge Garrison spoke about one of the most disturbing things that happened after Wallace killed the girl: “We know that after the event, he, Dustin Wallace, says something that is so inappropriate that it sticks out in our minds, hugely. That is when Sahara’s mother is hysterically trying to deal with the death of her daughter, Mr. Wallace told her to, ‘Shut up.'”
Wallace’s father could be seen lowering his head and breaking down into tears during the judge’s comments years later.
The Investigation and Lies
Roseburg police immediately treated the death as suspicious. Wallace, as the only teenage male in the house, was interviewed that same day.
Prosecutors had argued Wallace killed the girl and then lied about what happened in an attempt to get away with the crime.
Judge Randy Garrison said the video of Wallace being interviewed by police after Dwight’s death shows the teen had no remorse for his actions as he spun elaborate lies about what took place that night.
Wallace initially claimed he had found Sahara, tried to wake her, and may have accidentally rolled onto her while sleeping. The autopsy quickly disproved this — showing clear evidence of sexual assault and intentional smothering, plus blunt force trauma to her abdomen consistent with a punch.
He was arrested within days and charged as an adult with aggravated murder, despite being 16, because Oregon law allows adult prosecution for certain Measure 11 crimes.
The Trial: Judge Alone
Dustin Wallace, now 18, waived his right to a jury trial and instead had his case heard by a judge. This is a rare move in murder cases, but his defense team believed Judge Garrison might be more receptive to mental health arguments than a jury.
The defense argued that Wallace did not intend to kill Sahara Dwight and accidentally smothered her as he molested her.
Prosecutors countered that the act of smothering a screaming child while simultaneously punching her was intentional murder to prevent her from identifying him.
In June 2012, Garrison found Wallace guilty on six counts of aggravated murder and one count each of first degree rape, sexual assault and unlawful sexual penetration.
Wallace had spent most of the trial looking down at a courtroom table. He lowered his head into his hands and rubbed his eyes after the judge announced all 9 guilty verdicts.
The Sentencing Hearing: Mental Illness vs. Public Safety
Because Wallace was a juvenile in 2010 when he killed Sahara Dwight, so he was not eligible for the death penalty. Under Oregon law at the time, Judge Garrison had two choices: life without parole, or life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
The three-day sentencing hearing in November 2012 became a battle over whether Wallace was a mentally ill child who made a terrible mistake, or a budding sexual predator.
The Defense Case:
The defense called Wallace’s mother Lisa to testify. The questioning centered on Wallace’s mental health. She described his inability to socialize with others since he was 5-years-old. “Dustin had difficulty socially with other children beginning since kindergarten,” she said. “Dustin had been in counseling and in to doctors his whole life.”
His mother says Dustin was diagnosed with ADD, ADD aggressive, asbergers and depression.
She also testified about disturbing prior incidents: him allegedly putting his sister’s dog into a pillow case and swinging it around, climbing into the shower with his sister when she was 13-years-old, and an incident where Dustin allegedly cut the panties off of a girl who was staying the night.
Crucially, she said Dustin had befriended an adult male in his early 20s named Kevin when he was 15, and Dustin would watch pornographic websites with this male.
Dr. Jerry Larsen, a psychiatrist and co-writer of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health, also testified. Dr. Larsen testified that if Wallace had been on his medication at the time of the incident, Wallace most likely would not have committed the crime. “Had he been on his meds, he would have been asleep and this would not have happened,” the doctor said.
His attorneys said Wallace has suffered from mental health problems since he was 5, and a psychiatrist testified that Wallace probably would not have killed Sahara if he had been taking medication, which he left at home in Oklahoma when he came to Oregon to visit his father. The medication relieved insomnia, helped Wallace think more clearly and lowered his sexual urges, the doctor said.
The Prosecution Case:
Prosecutors said he’s shown no remorse. They played the police interview video showing Wallace calmly lying, and emphasized the “shut up” comment to Sahara’s grieving mother.
They argued Wallace would pose a risk even after incarceration, pointing to the predatory nature of entering a 5-year-old’s room.
The Sentence: Life Without Parole
On November 12, 2012, Judge Randy Garrison handed down his ruling at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing for Dustin Wallace, 18.
The courtroom was almost completely full as the judge handed down his decision.
Judge Garrison became emotional at times while he talked about the facts of the case. He spoke about Sahara’s last moments, emphasizing her fight.
Then he delivered the sentence: life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Justice dictates that Dustin Wallace not be released on parole,” Garrison told a packed courtroom. “Justice requires that Mr. Wallace not be released on parole.”
Gasps could be heard in the courtroom. Wallace was noticeably emotional, holding his head in his hands as his aunt gave testimony during the hearing.
A judge found a man accused of raping and killing a 5-year-old girl when the defendant was 16 guilty of murder and rape. A judge has decided that the teen who raped and murdered a 5-year-old Roseburg girl will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Appeals
Wallace appealed, arguing the court erred in merging his aggravated murder convictions. In 2015, the Oregon Court of Appeals rejected defendant’s claims, finding no plain error and affirming the trial court’s judgment.
Where Is Dustin Wallace Now?
As of 2026, Dustin Wallace is incarcerated in the Oregon Department of Corrections.
- Offender Name: Wallace, Dustin Michael
- Age: 31 (DOB: 03/1994)
- Location: Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon
- Gender: Male, White, 6’03”, 230 lbs
- Institution Admission Date: 09/15/2015
- Earliest Release Date: No Parole
He is serving life without parole, meaning he will die in prison. He is classified as a high-risk AIC (Adult in Custody).
How old was Dustin Wallace when he killed Sahara Dwight?
16 years old. The murder occurred July 9, 2010. He was tried as an adult at 18.
What did Dustin Wallace do to Sahara Dwight?
According to court documents, he entered her bedroom, sexually assaulted her, smothered her when she cried out, and punched her in the stomach. She died of asphyxiation.
Why did Dustin Wallace get life without parole?
Judge Randy Garrison said Wallace poses too great a risk to the public ever to be allowed free. Oregon law gave him the choice of LWOP or life with parole after 30 years. He chose LWOP due to lack of remorse and the brutal nature.
Where is Dustin Wallace now?
At Snake River Correctional Institution in Eastern Oregon, serving life without parole.
Did Dustin Wallace show remorse?
No. Prosecutors and the judge cited his police interview video where he spun elaborate lies, and his comment telling Sahara’s hysterical mother to “shut up” moments after the murder.
Was Dustin Wallace mentally ill?
His defense presented diagnoses of ADHD, Asperger’s, and depression, and argued he was off medication. The court acknowledged this but found it did not excuse the intentional nature of the killing.
