TERRE HAUTE — Katron Walker will avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty to murder and attempted murder in an agreement entered today in Vigo Superior Court Division 3.
Judge David R. Bolk accepted the guilty pleas and set the case for sentencing in August. A definite date has yet to be determined.
Walker faces between 45 and 100 years in prison for killing his 4-year-old son and the attempted murder of his then-2-year-old son in June 2006 near Blackhawk. The incident happened as police responded to an Amber Alert issued several hours after the children were reportedly taken by Walker by force from their grandfather.
"There is a sentencing cap of 100 years, and the state will argue for what we deem reasonable," Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said in a press conference late this morning.
Modesitt said he considered the feelings of the victim's family during negotiations of the plea agreement. The mother of the victims, Teresa Dwyer, along with supporting family and friends, appeared in court for the guilty pleas. She declined to make a public comment on the case, but Modesitt said she had signed an acknowledgment stating she was in agreement with the plea offer.
As part of the agreement, Walker waives his right to appeal the sentence he receives from Judge Bolk. Typically, sentencing must occur within 30 days of conviction, but the defendant waived that right in court and asked for additional time to prepare for the final sentencing.
Modesitt said the sentencing was preliminarily set for Aug. 18 or 19, but the actual date depends upon the availability of expert witnesses.
Jury selection in the trial was to begin Aug. 31, and the murder trial was to start Sept. 14. Had the case gone to trial, the county had budgeted $400,000 for prosecution and defense team expenses. Since 2006, the county already has spent in excess of $189,000 through March 2009 on the case.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
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BREAKING UPDATE: Katron Walker pleads guilty to murder, attempted murder
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