FL FL - Clifford & Christine Walker, both 23, & 2 kids, Osprey, 20 Dec 1959

[Kat]

The bloody cowboy boot:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?p=6&tc=pg&AID=/20051219/NEWS/512190338&Page=5

One promising clue, a bloody cowboy boot print, was found near a gas heater in the Walkers' living room. Investigators believed it was the killer's, left behind when he waited to shoot Cliff as he walked through the door.

Years later, they learned the print belonged to a careless deputy who had stepped in a puddle of blood.

 

[MaryLiz]

About two years back, I e-mailed the guy who wrote the huge article in 2005 for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He responded and said they were still working on the DNA evidence. I then wrote to him twice toward the end of 2009 and asked if there were any more DNA results, or if the Herald-Tribune was planning an article to mark the 50th anniversary. I never heard back from him and haven't seen any updated articles since 2006. IIRC, the article in 2006 cleared either one or two of the long list of suspects, but I would have to find the article and read it again. I really can't believe there wasnt an article written last December at the 50th anniversary.

 

[Richard]

December 2010 will mark the 51 year anniversary of this tragic murder of a family. It remains unsolved.

 

[MaryLiz]

December 2010 will mark the 51 year anniversary of this tragic murder of a family. It remains unsolved.

I wish the newspaper would do an updated story to let us know if any more people have been cleared through DNA. I was really surprised there wasn't a 50th anniversary story done last year. Even if there is no news on the DNA, at least another feature story on the murders would put it back in the public eye for a while.

 

[kline]

I'm sorry, I don't think the people who did in The Clutters killed the Walkers, esp when you consider that Walker's marriage certificate and Christine's majorette uniform disappeared. That screams personal to me. Like I said, the Clutter case info doesn't belong in this thread. I think people love to tie in known killers to other cases.

Yeah, the reason the two crimes are linked in peoples minds is only because of the extremely weird coincindence that Perry Smith and Dick Hickock the two Clutter family killers just happened to be in town the same night another family of four was murdered with a gun.
Authorities gave them both a thorough going over after their arrest in Las Vegas and extradition back to Garden City Kansas and completely cleared both of them of any involvement.
And yes an update on the status of this case is way over due.
At least to me its obvious the killer had a very personal fix on Mr.s Walker ,im sure many did from the photos ive seen she was very attractive.
One wouldnt have thought it difficult in such a relatively rural area to winnow out someone who's attraction to her had crossed the line but obviously that wasnt the case.

 

[MaryLiz]

Yeah, the reason the two crimes are linked in peoples minds is only because of the extremely weird coincindence that Perry Smith and Dick Hickock the two Clutter family killers just happened to be in town the same night another family of four was murdered with a gun.
Authorities gave them both a thorough going over after their arrest in Las Vegas and extradition back to Garden City Kansas and completely cleared both of them of any involvement.
And yes an update on the status of this case is way over due.
At least to me its obvious the killer had a very personal fix on Mr.s Walker ,im sure many did from the photos ive seen she was very attractive.
One wouldnt have thought it difficult in such a relatively rural area to winnow out someone who's attraction to her had crossed the line but obviously that wasnt the case.

I agree on both counts...I don't think Smith and Hickock had anything to do with the Walker murders..but what an odd coincidence that they were in that area at the time the Walkers were killed. And I too believe this was a very personal crime that had everything to do with Christine Walker. I just can't believe they haven't been able to get this solved with the DNA.

 

[justthinkin]

The bloody cowboy boot:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?p=6&tc=pg&AID=/20051219/NEWS/512190338&Page=5

Does that strike anyone else as odd? When they say years, I wonder how many? That deputy had to have held onto those boots for sometime. Seems like it would have been caught very early on. Wouldn't they have double checked that initially to make sure the footprint didn't belong to any of them?

I'm afraid I'd have to question that deputy about his whereabouts on the day the Walkers were murdered.

 

[justthinkin]

Some random thoughts...

With this kind of murder, it would seem unlikely this was a first for the killer. However, I can't imagine why the killer would take Christine's majorette uniform unless he had gone to school with her, and that's where he first set his eyes on her. That outfit has to be really symbolic to the killer. JMO. Same with the marriage license hanging on the wall. These are some strange souvenirs. The majorette costume wouldn't have meant anything to a stranger.

I would eliminate Tooker as a suspect after Cliff telling his friend he wanted to kill Tooker. I believe if Cliff had seen Tooker's vehicle at his house that day, there is no way he would have left his own gun in the cab of his jeep. I think he would've gone in prepared to take Tooker out.

I have tried to locate an A. Delose Smith via white pages and the SSDI. Both turned up nothing. I did locate another Delose or Deloose Smith on SSDI, but with a different first intial. I also searched for anyone by the name Delose Smith having been arrested for anything, and that too turned up nada.

 

[justthinkin]

Why do you think the killer was in the process of dragging Christine's body from the bedroom where she was killed to the living room?

 

[gaia227]

Why do you think the killer was in the process of dragging Christine's body from the bedroom where she was killed to the living room?

Has it been established she was dragged from the bedroom to the living room? I can't remember reading that.
If that is the case then maybe to put her in the room with the rest of her family. Why? Perhaps the perp wanted to cover up the fact that she was sole target or that it was sexually motivated. If the killer did know her personally and had feelings for her it seems logical after she was dead he wanted to put her in the living room with her children - out of respect, as morbid and twisted as that sounds.

 

[grace60]

I wish the newspaper would do an updated story to let us know if any more people have been cleared through DNA. I was really surprised there wasn't a 50th anniversary story done last year. Even if there is no news on the DNA, at least another feature story on the murders would put it back in the public eye for a while.

I live in the area and read the paper every day. I'll be sure to post anything if they do any other stories about this.

 

[grace60]

That's okay, I had to re-look it up and I'd just read it yesterday, lol. Also, I assumed Arcadia and Sarasota were quite close together, but Map Quest shows they're nearly fifty miles apart.

Yes and it's a long lonely ride if your alone. I drive to Arcadia and Wauchula every few months for business. There is nothing once you get through the Myakka State Park area and cell phones still won't work in certain areas. There are houses and farms along the way today but I imagine back in 1959 there were not many.

 

[MaryLiz]

Has it been established she was dragged from the bedroom to the living room? I can't remember reading that.
If that is the case then maybe to put her in the room with the rest of her family. Why? Perhaps the perp wanted to cover up the fact that she was sole target or that it was sexually motivated. If the killer did know her personally and had feelings for her it seems logical after she was dead he wanted to put her in the living room with her children - out of respect, as morbid and twisted as that sounds.

BBM...yes, it said in the article from the Herald-Tribune in December 2005 that the killer started to drag her into the living room.

"The killer pulled a quilt over the pillow on Jimmie's bed, covering up blood. With another quilt, he wiped blood from Christine's legs, then dragged her toward the living room."

Don't forget, Cliff and the children weren't home yet, so maybe he was going to put Christine's body in the living room for them to see as soon as they got home. But they drove up just as he was dragging her body out, I think.

IMO, this crime was a very personal one against Christine Walker, and I believe if Cliff and the children hadn't come home when they did, they may not have been murdered. I think the perp went there strictly for sex with Christine, and when she rebuffed his advances, he raped her, then killed her. I just don't think he intended to kill the whole family, but they showed up almost right after he shot Christine. JMO.

Here's the link below again to the entire article from 2005.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20051218/NEWS/512180667?p=1&tc=pg

 

[MaryLiz]

I live in the area and read the paper every day. I'll be sure to post anything if they do any other stories about this.

Thanks, grace60. I e-mailed the reporter who wrote the lengthy article in 2005, Matthew Doig. There was a follow-up article in April 2006, I think, that cleared one or two of the suspects. I e-mailed him to ask if there had been any more news about the DNA and he answered me, stating there was nothing new. I then wrote to him about four months before the 50th anniversary in December 2009 to ask if there would be an article marking the 50 years. He never answered back and I have seen nothing in the Herald-Tribune since then. I was going to post the link below to the April 2006 article in the Herald-Tribune, but I can't find it now. I could only find the article from December 2005.

 

[grace60]

Thanks, grace60. I e-mailed the reporter who wrote the lengthy article in 2005, Matthew Doig. There was a follow-up article in April 2006, I think, that cleared one or two of the suspects. I e-mailed him to ask if there had been any more news about the DNA and he answered me, stating there was nothing new. I then wrote to him about four months before the 50th anniversary in December 2009 to ask if there would be an article marking the 50 years. He never answered back and I have seen nothing in the Herald-Tribune since then. I was going to post the link below to the April 2006 article in the Herald-Tribune, but I can't find it now. I could only find the article from December 2005.

Is this it? http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060409/NEWS/604090916

 

[MaryLiz]

Is this it? http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060409/NEWS/604090916

yes, that's it. I guess I didn't look hard enough! Thanks for posting it.

 

[grace60]

yes, that's it. I guess I didn't look hard enough! Thanks for posting it.

The tribune has a archives section I looked up the stories for 4/06

 

[kline]

BBM...yes, it said in the article from the Herald-Tribune in December 2005 that the killer started to drag her into the living room.

"The killer pulled a quilt over the pillow on Jimmie's bed, covering up blood. With another quilt, he wiped blood from Christine's legs, then dragged her toward the living room."

Don't forget, Cliff and the children weren't home yet, so maybe he was going to put Christine's body in the living room for them to see as soon as they got home. But they drove up just as he was dragging her body out, I think.

IMO, this crime was a very personal one against Christine Walker, and I believe if Cliff and the children hadn't come home when they did, they may not have been murdered. I think the perp went there strictly for sex with Christine, and when she rebuffed his advances, he raped her, then killed her. I just don't think he intended to kill the whole family, but they showed up almost right after he shot Christine. JMO.

Here's the link below again to the entire article from 2005.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20051218/NEWS/512180667?p=1&tc=pg

I agree completely.
I think the sexual assault and murder of Christine was the primary motive and yes I think the rest of the family came home at the wrong time.
And I would still being willing to bet the killer was in attendance at her HighSchool while she was there.How big of a school could it be?

 

[MaryLiz]

I agree completely.
I think the sexual assault and murder of Christine was the primary motive and yes I think the rest of the family came home at the wrong time.
And I would still being willing to bet the killer was in attendance at her HighSchool while she was there.How big of a school could it be?[/quote]


BBM...I agree. I think the perp was someone who lusted after Christine since high school and thought he saw his golden opportunity when she was there alone. It makes no other sense that he would take the majorette uniform. That uniform almost certainly connected his feelings for Christine back to their high school days.

JMO.

 

[justthinkin]

BBM...yes, it said in the article from the Herald-Tribune in December 2005 that the killer started to drag her into the living room.

"The killer pulled a quilt over the pillow on Jimmie's bed, covering up blood. With another quilt, he wiped blood from Christine's legs, then dragged her toward the living room."

Don't forget, Cliff and the children weren't home yet, so maybe he was going to put Christine's body in the living room for them to see as soon as they got home. But they drove up just as he was dragging her body out, I think.

IMO, this crime was a very personal one against Christine Walker, and I believe if Cliff and the children hadn't come home when they did, they may not have been murdered. I think the perp went there strictly for sex with Christine, and when she rebuffed his advances, he raped her, then killed her. I just don't think he intended to kill the whole family, but they showed up almost right after he shot Christine. JMO.

Here's the link below again to the entire article from 2005.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20051218/NEWS/512180667?p=1&tc=pg

ITA, MaryLiz. It seems to me, the killer was planning on waiting for Cliff to come home. Why else would he drag the body towards the living room?

While I also suspect the killer was someone Christine knew from her high school days, if as one of the articles mentioned, she would put on her majorette uniform at times for people visiting her house, then it could have been someone who'd only seen her wearing it there. Regardless, that majorette uniform with Christine in it, made an impact on the killer!

"The killer pulled a quilt over the pillow on Jimmie's bed, covering up blood." That bit of info is baffling. Here we have a killer who is planning on lying in wait to kill Cliff, in addition to Christine, but why cover up the blood on the bed? Is it a sign the killer at least felt a momentary sense of guilt or remorse? Offhand, I can't think of any other reason he would do that. The sight of her blood must have disturbed him somewhat, ridiculous as it seems.