McCain Mall
McCain Mall is a shopping mall located in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and is the largest mall in the Little Rock Metro and third largest enclosed mall in Arkansas. The mall is anchored by Dillard's, JCPenney, and Regal Cinemas.
History
McCain Mall was developed as Arkansas's largest mall on a 53.3-acre site on McCain Boulevard near Interstate 40. The mall was officially dedicated in April 1973, although its primary anchor, Little Rock-based Pfeifer-Blass, had opened for business in late 1972. Among its 96 stores and services were a J.G. McCrory 5 and 10 and McCain Mall Cinema I and II.Over its 30+ year history, McCain Mall has never been expanded, although renovations were done in 1992 and again in 2011–2012. The former location of M. M. Cohn was demolished in 2012 for a Regal Entertainment Group movie theater.
In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off its 235 properties, including the Sears at McCain Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. The auto center closed in 2017 and was demolished. A LongHorn Steakhouse opened on January 22, 2019 at the site of the auto center. On November 7, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 96 stores nationwide. The store closed on February 2, 2020.
Murders and Criminal Acts on the Premises
McCain Mall and attached parking areas have been the site of multiple crime scenes.Rape and Murder of Laurie White (June 1997)
In June 1997, Laura "Laurie" White, a 26-year-old overnight guard, was murdered by Andrew Engram. After strangling Ms. White and inflicting blunt neck trauma, Engram left her body to be discovered hanging inside the outdoor Sears landscape merchandise tent she had been guarding. During the course of the murder, Engram also raped Ms. White. At the time of the attack, Laurie White was alone and did not have access to a telephone, a radio, or the nearby building.White's parents filed a federal lawsuit against Simon Property Group, Inc. and Sears which was settled out of court in 2000 with details undisclosed.
Engram, who had been on parole for only 6 months at the time of White's rape and murder, was convicted in 1999 and sentenced to death. The prosecution relied on overwhelming evidence including DNA profiling in securing the jury conviction. In 2013, Engram's lawyers successfully petitioned the Arkansas Supreme Court for a new hearing after an appeal in which they argued he received ineffective assistance of counsel from the court-appointed lawyers during his original trial. As evidence, they referred to the failure to meet deadlines for filing petitions, including those questioning whether Engram had an intellectual disability.
In 2014, Engram was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole. As of October 2025, he is an inmate at the high-security Varner Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections.