Your Worst Nightmare Before Christmas on ID is investigating a shocking case of kidnap and murder from Jonesboro, Georgia, which culminated in Regina Dates being strangled to death by Keith Henry.
On August 31, 1999, Keith Henry and his wife Belinda Henry knocked on the door of the home of Sheila Dates and her 21-year-old daughter Regina Dates. They gained access to the house by claiming they were FBI agents before tying up their victims.
Keith and Belinda demanded the combination to the lock at the check-cashing business where Sheila worked. The opening of the safe was a more complicated affair than the Henry’s had realized, so they decided that Belinda would go with Sheila to her workplace to access the cash. Keith stayed behind with Regina.
Keith waited just 15 minutes after they left to strangle poor Regina to death. Once Sheila had opened the safe, Belinda attempted to strangle her with a rope as directed by her husband. Sheila survived the ordeal and was able to call for help when she regained consciousness.
Keith and Belinda Henry fled the state after killing Regina Dates
The murderous couple later fled to Tennessee, where they robbed a bank before escaping to New Jersey. It was about six weeks after the murder when the FBI finally caught up to the pair at a motel room in NJ. Belinda committed suicide rather than be captured, but Keith Henry gave himself up.
Henry admitted to the cops that he had killed Regina Dates and agreed to plead guilty. Despite his guilty plea, he was still sentenced to death.
Henry’s death sentence was later reduced to life in prison; at that time, he apologized to Sheila Dates for the crime and added: “By no means do I think this apology will ease what you are going through? But it’s all I have to offer. Maybe the taking of my life will bring some satisfaction to everybody.”
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Your Worst Nightmare Before Christmas airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.
I have a point I’d like to add to your story. Keith Henry asked for the death sentence during the trial. I was there with my family. Belinda was my sister. She met Keith Henry 1/1/99 and married that monster 2/14/99. Her family never saw her after the crime spree began in August. I pray the victim’s family is doing well. It was such an unnecessary tragedy.