The Murder of Lieutenant William Walker
For this case I watched an episode of Someone You Thought You Knew. It’s season 1 episode 5, titled ‘The Lieutenant of Lampson Road.’
A Cleveland firefighter is shot in his own driveway.
Background
William Walker was a lieutenant with the Cleveland fire department. He was described as a pillar of the community, and as someone that always had a smile on his face.
William had been married once before, and had recently married his longtime girlfriend Uloma, just four months before his murder. They both had several children from their previous marriages, and the blended family got along well.
Lt. William Walker
The Murder
On November 3, 2013, Uloma called 911. She said someone had just shot her husband, Lt. William Walker, in the driveway of their home on Lampson Road.
Uloma can be heard saying “you’ll be okay, I love you,” as William groans in the background.
When the police arrived, William was still alive, but had been hit with four out of five shots that were fired. He had been unlocking his door after coming home from McDonald’s. The fast food bags were scattered near the door. His wallet was also found at the scene, so a robbery was ruled out pretty quickly.
William was rushed to the hospital, but he passed away around midnight.
The Investigation
The police canvassed the area, searching for any evidence or witnesses.
In the back of William’s home was a garage. The police determined that the killer had hid back there, and waited for William to come home. Several .9mm shell casings were found, and it was apparent that William was ambushed as he arrived home.
The police wanted to speak to William’s family. In the home, he lived with his wife, her son Macklin, his girlfriend and their infant child and his 17-year-old step-daughter.
Macklin told the police that he had been in their part of the home, playing video games, when he heard the gunshots. He ran outside to find his mom already on the phone with 911.
Macklin’s girlfriend had been out getting takeout from another restaurant. She had just pulled up into the driveway when she heard the gunshots. She told the police that she didn’t see the face of the person who killed William.
A Possible Suspect
Uloma was asked to come into the police station for an interview. She was more composed than she had been the night before.
Uloma told the police that she had been upstairs packing when she heard the gunshots. Their house was getting a little packed with their children still living with them, and they found a place in Madison Township.
Uloma told the police that she and William had been together for 5 years before they got married, and that she had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. They decided to get married because she needed his health benefits.
The police asked Uloma who would’ve wanted to hurt William. She told them that her ex-husband Macklin Hines Sr., was upset about her recent marriage.
Macklin had a long criminal history, but was ruled out very quickly. He had been arrested on a parole violation the day before the murder, and had been in jail during the time of the murder.
A Confrontation
A few weeks into the investigation, the police heard a rumor that not everyone in William’s neighborhood was a fan of him.
They asked Uloma about this, and she said that a week before the murder, William had confronted a neighbor of theirs. The man was named Eugene Cray, and he lived at the end of the street.
Eugene had parked his car in William’s driveway, was blasting music, and smoking weed. William came out to confront Eugene, and he immediately drove away. Uloma said that was the first time she had seen him angry.
In December 2013, the police tracked Eugene down. He had previous arrests for assault and drug possession. However, Eugene said that he and William didn’t have another altercation after that night. He gave the police his DNA when he asked, and he was ruled out.
A Shocking Tip
The police turned back to William’s family. They looked into William’s financial records, and discovered that William’s life insurance policy and benefits all went to his ex-wife Rita, not Uloma.
The police were suspicious of Rita. In February 2014, they had discovered that she had driven into the neighborhood on the night William was killed. Rita had an explanation though, her son had forgotten his shoes, and she was just dropping them off.
Sadly, William’s case went cold for 8 months, and a $12,000 reward was issued for any information.
The reward led to many tips, but one tip stood out. A man had come in with a recording of someone confessing to be involved with the murder. The person who had bragged about the murder was Chad Padgett, the boyfriend of Uloma’s daughter.
The Confession
An APB (all points bulletin) was sent out for Chad. At first he denied being involved, but after spending a night in jail, he was ready to confess.
In October 2014, almost a year after William’s murder, Chad said he was offered $10,000 to kill William. Chad said he didn’t want to pull the trigger on his own, so he hired a friend Christopher Hein, who hired another friend named Ryan Dorty to do it.
Chad also said that his girlfriend Jacqueline, and her mom, Uloma, were involved. Uloma had been the one to offer the $10,000, but she double-crossed them.
Uloma’s daughter said she had called her mom shortly before William left to go get food. Uloma sent William out to get food, while Chad and Ryan arrived to wait for William.
Ryan waited in the backyard, while Chad was a block away with the get away car. Uloma was close by as well, waiting to call 911.
The Convictions
The police also discovered that Uloma never had cancer. She was also in serious debt.
Chad, Jacqueline Hines and Ryan agreed to plea deals in exchange for their testimonies.
The defense tried to put the blame on Uloma’s daughter, and said that it was her idea to kill William. The jury didn’t buy it. Uloma Curry-Walker was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Chad Padgett’s DNA was found on the shell casings that had been found in the backyard. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter with conspiracy. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Ryan Dorty pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. He was sentenced to 23 to life.
Christopher Hein pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and conspiracy. He was sentenced to 18 years.
Jacqueline Hines was a juvenile at the time, and was released on supervision after a month.
Uloma, Chad Padgett, Christopher Hein and Ryan Dorty (Jacqueline isn’t picture because she was a juvenile).
FINAL THOUGHTS
William seemed like a good person. He was a hard-worker, a good friend, and family man. He was obviously deceived by Uloma, and wanted to save her from a world of pain. However, she never had cancer. She lied to so many people, and everyone in this episode said Uloma should have been an actress. She acted like the grieving wife, when she was the reason for William’s death all along. She didn’t received any money, and literally killed him over nothing. It’s heartbreaking.
Sources
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2017/07/wife_of_slain_cleveland_firefi_1.html
