Who is Wayne Perry? Here’s the life story of the Washington D.C drug lord
Wayne Perry, alias Silk Perry, was one of the most notorious gangsters to run the streets of Washington, DC, in the late 80s and early 90s. He terrorized people for about two decades before his arrest. Mentioning his name was enough to give people jitters.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Profile summary
- Who is Wayne Perry?
- Wayne Perry's documentary
- Wayne Perry's songs
- Is there a Wayne Perry movie?
- Wayne Perry's net worth
- Who is Wayne Silk Perry's boyfriend?
- How did Wayne Silk Perry die?
- Where is Wayne Silk Perry now?
- When is Wayne "Silk" Perry's release date?
- Is Wayne "Silk" Perry related to Wayne M. Perry?
- Does Wayne Perry have a son?
- How tall is Wayne Perry?
- Facts about Wayne Perry
Wayne Perry was closely linked to Alpo Martinez, a much-dreaded Puerto Rican drug dealer from Harlem, New York City. Here is the comprehensive story of his life in crime and current whereabouts.
Profile summary
| Full name | Wayne Anthony Perry-El |
| Nicknames | Silk or Nkosi Shaka Zulu El |
| Gender | Male |
| Birthdate | November 14, 1962 |
| Age | 61 years (as of July 2024) |
| Birthplace | 203, L Street, Southwest Washington DC, USA |
| Residence | ADX Florence Supermax in Colorado, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Religion | Islam |
| Sexuality | Gay |
| Height | 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) |
| Weight | 172 lbs. (78 kg) |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Marital status | Single |
| Ex-girlfriend | Evelyn Carter (deceased) |
| Education | Wilson High, Randall High, Franklin GED School |
Who is Wayne Perry?
Wayne Anthony Perry-El (alias Silk or Nkosi Shaka Zulu El) is a former criminal. He terrorized the residents of Washington, DC, for years before the authorities caught up with him.
Perry's business associate, Alpo Martinez, was a notorious crack dealer. He lived in Lewiston under a federal witness protection program before he was gunned down in Harlem on Halloween on October 31, 2021.
How old is Wayne Perry now?
Wayne Silk Perry's age is 61 years as of July 2024. He was born on November 14, 1962, and his Zodiac sign is Scorpio.
Where is Wayne Silk Perry from?
Silk is an American national born and raised in an African-American home at 203 L Street in Southwest Washington, DC. The region is one of the worst ghettos in the US. Others call it Drama City or Chocolate City because of high crime rates, squalor, and poverty.
Source: UGC
Wayne Silk Perry's childhood
Wayne had a little brother who was killed in a bank in 1979 and another brother named Lop. They all grew up on 203 L Street, one of the worst sections of Chocolate City. The place is battling grievous problems like drugs, violence, and crime.
Growing up, Perry would spend most summers in Georgia. On top of that, he was so good at sports that he earned him the nickname of "Silk," bestowed upon him by his half-brother, who was called Lop. From that moment on, everyone knew Wayne Perry as Silk.
Educational background
Perry attended Wilson High School, which was more like a gladiator school for gangbangers. More often than not, Northwest and Southwest gangs engaged in fights and riots on the campus.
One of those riots sent Silk to jail for the first time. One day, a fight broke out, and somebody shot one of the unarmed school guards. The cops arrived and questioned the gangbangers, who pointed fingers at Silk.
Wayne was taken into custody and charged with attempted murder, but the court dismissed his case for lack of evidence. Silk did not shoot the guard. According to him, other gangbangers set him up, knowing he "wouldn't tell and I'd ride it out."
Wilson High School kicked him out and moved him to Randall High School, where he was active in multiple sports, including boxing, basketball, baseball, and football.
Although Wayne was an excellent player, the school kicked him out for beating his coach with a bat during practice. As a result, the authorities banned Silk from attending any public school in DC, and a judge ordered him to attend Franklin GED School.
Wayne killed someone who threatened to take his chain at school before turning himself into authorities due to pressure from his mother. Whether Silk murdered anyone at Franklin GED School was questionable. There was no arrest or documentation of his involvement in the murder.
Source: UGC
What is the story of Wayne Silk Perry?
Wayne Perry from DC joined crime at a tender age. He put his first foot in the dirt in 1974 at age 12 as a "lookout" for the older gangbangers as they hustled. Hustling meant drug peddling, robbery, and gambling.
When Silk saw a police car, he would alert the group to split. In exchange, the older gangbangers taught his hustling techniques, and by the age of 13, Perry was already putting what he had learned into practice.
Wayne began with gambling and minor larceny before progressing to greater crimes. His specialties were con games, drug peddling, and extortion.
During his high school years, Silk spent a lot of time on the streets with older gangsters, and by the late 1970s, he was robbing banks and selling illegal substances.
Wayne robbed his first bank in 1978 at the age of 16. He found it simple and enjoyable, so he continued doing it and made a lot of money.
What did Wayne Perry do?
Aside from bank robbery and selling illegal drugs, Wayne would kill people for money. As a result, mentioning his name in his locality would make people extremely anxious and fearful.
Wayne Perry's hitman activities often left witnesses puzzled about how he shot his victims' heads without people in the vicinity noticing.
Wayne Perry's relationship with Albert Alpo Martinez
Perry was a close associate of Albert Alpo Martinez, an American drug dealer from Harlem, New York City. He was Martinez's drug dealing partner, bodyguard, and hitman.
Silk would eliminate witnesses, disloyal gang members, and rival drug dealers who threatened The Martinez Organization’s drug business. Additionally, Wayne committed other crimes, such as robbery and extortion.
Source: UGC
Wayne murdered another gang member in 1984. The gangbanger went seeking for Silk, intending to kill him, but took a shot and missed. Silk returned fire, killing the gangbanger in front of a parked police car.
The police officers in the car testified the murder was "self-defense," since it was still murder, Silk went to prison for it.
He was sent to Lorton’s Youth Center One, one of the most violent and aggressive prisons in the US. Silk survived and also honed his skills and brutality.
When he got out of prison in 1987, he made a career change and became a hitman and kidnapper for hire. Silk also provided security service to heavy drug traffickers.
Perry didn't do drive-bys or shoot across the street. He would walk up to his targets and shoot them in the head. His reputation for viciousness kept him out of court. No witness dared testify against him, and he kept his homies loyal with gifts of money and drugs.
Silk also led a team of deadly killers who followed his commands and weren't hesitant to bust weapons and get their hands dirty. He quickly became known as the "King of Killers."
Eventually, Wayne ran into Alpo. Both gave two different versions of how they met. Silk claimed they met in 1989 at the East Side Club, where he had gone to hunt down Martinez.
Wayne said in a Don Diva magazine interview:
I was out to destroy him over a lie a girl told me he said. I didn't know him; he was scared to death, but he was with my close comrade Lil Pop, who asked me not to kill Po. The broad told me Alpo said he was putting a hit on me.
When I ran into him, I didn't know he was Po. I told Lil Pop I heard Po was with him and that I was trying to smash him, so let me know who Po was. Pop said, 'Why?' I said he told this broad he was putting a hit on me. Pop said, 'That b*itch lied. If Po said that, I would have smashed him.'
We were in the East Side Club, so Pop said this is Po, and Po begged me, saying he had never said that. So, Pop got the girl for lying.
Source: UGC
On the other hand, Alpo Martinez told the Street Legends:
Through Pop, a young, wild 15-year-old coming out of Southeast D.C., killing anything moving, I met the cat Wayne Perry, who at that time had the town locked on fear and was putting his murder game down.
The kid Wayne wound up going to jail for murder, and no one was trying to get him out. The people he thought would get him out and come up with the money never came up with it.
According to Alpo, he bailed Silk out of jail, and Silk was so grateful that he decided to pay Alpo back by handling security for Alpo's drug business.
Before long, Alpo was transporting 30 kg of coke daily, while Silk was killing people and his killers were taking care of the business.
Alpo ended up with a slum pass, and nobody in Chocolate City wanted to mess with Silk. Everyone knew that if they jacked with Alpo, Silk would appear and cause havoc.
So, Alpo swam for money and lived a high life while caring for Silk and his crew. Martinez was happy getting more prosperous, and Wayne was delighted terrorizing and killing people.
Wayne Perry's fallout with Albert Alpo Martinez
Silk Perry's criminal streak ended when the cops used his long-term friend and partner, Albert Alpo Martinez, to get him.
The feds police arrested Alpo on November 6, 1991, and were hit with multiple drug charges, along with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
They even threw him into a Washington, DC, jail, where a lot of his enemies were awaiting trial, but Silk kept him safe. He put out the word through the grapevine that anyone who touched Alpo would not live to get out of jail.
Even so, Alpo was scared to death, and to make matters worse, the feds were contemplating on asking for the death penalty or nailing him with life in prison without parole.
Source: UGC
After advising him to make a deal, Alpo’s defense attorney got 80 grand as a retainer fee. If Alpo had given the feds Silk, they would have been lenient on his sentence.
So, Martinez snitched on Wayne to the police by revealing that he had killed drug dealers Garrett ‘Gary’ Terrell and a woman named Evelyn Carter.
As a result, Wayne was arrested in 1992, and together with his co-defendants, Tyrone LaSalle Price and Michael Anthony Jackson, they were charged in a 27-count indictment in 1993.
The three were also accused of first-degree murder, committing murders to further a continuing criminal enterprise, racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute illegal substances, retaliating against a witness, kidnapping, and robbery.
They were indicted as enforcers for the Martinez Organization, which had killed nine people in two years, from 1989 to 1991. During his trial, it was revealed that Silk was the main orchestrator of and the shooter in eight of the nine alleged homicides.
In an exciting twist, Silk cut a deal with the feds and testified against Martinez in 1994. In return, the feds agreed to drop all other charges and not impose the death penalty at sentencing.
What is Wayne Perry locked up for?
Perry pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and furthering a continuing criminal enterprise. He admitted to killing Domenico Benson, Alveta Hopkins, Garrett Terrell, Yolanda Burley, and Evelyn Carter.
The police were investigating Silk over the murder of drug dealer Michael "Fray" Salters. Since his girlfriend, Evelyn Carter, could connect the dots, Silk killed his girlfriend to make sure she couldn’t testify.
US District Judge Thomas F. Hogan sent Silk to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty for testifying against Alpo.
In March 1994, he was shackled, handcuffed, and escorted to the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Meanwhile, Alpo Martinez entered the federal witness protection program.
Source: UGC
Wayne Perry's book
His gangster lifestyle is documented in the book Washington DC Hitman - Wayne "Silk" Perry by Seth Ferranti. The book describes him as a loyal and respected person. Notably, much of his personal information is undisclosed in the book.
Wayne Perry's documentary
Seth Ferranti's True Crime YouTube channel shared Wayne "Silk" Perry's story, referring to him as the most dangerous DC gangster the police had ever encountered.
Wayne Perry's songs
Artist Phonk Klxn Reaper's 2023 track, Muddyboy Phonk, is about him. Also, Jay-Z’s 2013 song, Tom Ford, is believed to glorify street legend Wayne Perry.
Is there a Wayne Perry movie?
As of July 2024, no film has been released about this American convicted murder felon.
Wayne Perry's net worth
It is unknown how wealthy Silk was before or after his arrest. He has never shared his net worth with the public.
Who is Wayne Silk Perry's boyfriend?
Although Perry has never confirmed dating a man, Sean Branch (aka Teflon Sean) talked about losing respect for Silk after catching him with another man, confirming the convicted felon was gay. He revealed this in September 2020 on Episode 169 of FlipDaScript on the QuietRoom YouTube channel.
How did Wayne Silk Perry die?
The former drug lord is serving his jail sentence in Colorado. Wayne Perry's obituary circulated online on February 5, 2024, was of a different person named Larry "Wayne" Perry, a 59-year-old from Florida.
Where is Wayne Silk Perry now?
The American convicted felon is serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at the ADX Florence Supermax facility in Florence, Colorado.
When is Wayne "Silk" Perry's release date?
Wayne will never be released from jail because he was imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.
Source: UGC
Is Wayne "Silk" Perry related to Wayne M. Perry?
If you search for information about Wayne "Silk" Perry on Wikipedia, you will find a man named Wayne M. Perry, but the two are unrelated. The former is a convicted murder felon, while the latter is a retired businessperson and former national president of the Boy Scouts of America.
Does Wayne Perry have a son?
It is unclear whether convicted felon Wayne "Silk" Perry has children, but retired American businessman Wayne M. Perry has four sons, Kevin, Gregory, Douglas, and Justin, with his wife, Christine.
How tall is Wayne Perry?
The convicted felon is 5 feet and 9 inches (175 cm) tall.
Facts about Wayne Perry
- He was among the most notorious gangsters in Washington, DC, in the late '80s and early '90s.
- Perry was the hitman and bodyguard for Alberto “Alpo” Martinez, the Harlem drug lord who trafficked cocaine to Washington.
- Alpo and Perry had a strong bond while in crime but betrayed each other when the feds police caught up with them.
- He became a Muslim and a Black nationalist while in prison.
- While in prison, Perry adopted the name Nkosi Shaka Zulu-El.
- After being put in isolation in jail for over 20 years, the man who once took lives resolved to save lives.
Wayne Perry is one of the high-profile killers of the '80s and '90s. His criminal days may have ended with him spending the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
Briefly.co.za recently published Wesley Miller's biography. Miller is a convicted felon. He caught public attention after the gruesome murder of a teen girl named Retha Stratton.
He pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to prison. He was also accused of multiple sex-related offences committed in Texas, United States of America.
Source: Briefly News
Jedidah Tabalia Jedi is a journalist with over 5 years working experience in the media industry. She has a BSc. in Human Resource Management from Moi University (graduated in 2014) and a working in progress MBA in Strategic Management. Having joined Genesis in 2017, Jedi is a passionate Facts and Life Hacks, Fitness, and Health content creator who sees beauty in everything. She loves traveling and checking out new restaurants. Her email address is jedidahtabalia@gmail.com
Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo is a content creator with 5 years of experience writing articles, researching, editing, and proofreading. She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi and joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019. The writer completed a Google News Initiate Course. She covers bios, marketing & finance, tech, fashion & beauty, recipes, movies & gaming reviews, culture & travel. You can email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
