IN - Collin Walker, 4, slain, brother injured, Terre Haute, 13 June 2006

[inquiringmindz]

I can't imagine what was going through the minds of these poor children as their father hurt them. I can only hope the survivor can't get through this without it messing up his life too much. Hopefully he is young enough not to remember. The father needs to just rot in jail as death would be too good for him.

 

[lisag]

Kill yourself please - and leave the kids alone!!

These type of crimes make me sick!!

 

[2beautifulboys]

My heart bleeds for these two little boys....the pain and suffering and fear is too much to bear. May God heal the little ones body and mind and the momma, I can't even imagine her pain....God help and hold her forever.

 

[cathieq]

I am at a complete loss as to what to say...What a cowardly piece of --! I guess it's good I'm not in law enforcement. Otherwise. you'd be reading about me at Websleuths -

 

[LinetteH]

When I woke to this news this morning I felt like I got punched in the stomach! Disgusting!!

 

[Dark Knight]

A man stabbed his two young sons and dragged them into a lake, leaving one dead, hours after taking them from his father-in-law's house at knifepoint, police say.

Police with search dogs were combing Dean's Lake for Katron Walker on Tuesday night when he ran out of an abandoned trailer and into the murky water, dragging his naked children with him, authorities said. Officers rescued 2-year-old Monte Walker; divers later found the body of his 4-year-old brother, Collin.

Anita Joy Smothers, who lives nearby, said she went into the water in an attempt to help the children and demanded to know where Walker had dropped Collin. "He's grinning and he goes, `He's probably at the bottom of the lake by now,'" she said.

Police said Walker, 32, had self-inflicted stab wounds in his chest and marijuana and methamphetamine in his system. He and his younger son were hospitalized and expected to survive.

Walker faces charges of murder and attempted murder.

Despite the knifepoint abduction, it took seven hours for authorities to issue an Amber Alert. The process was slowed because Indiana does not normally issue Amber Alerts in child custody cases, police said.

Bill Bergherm, Terre Haute assistant chief of detectives, said there was not "a lot of delay" in issuing the alert. Police first had to determine whether they had enough information to issue it, he said.

Rest of the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_on_re_us/brothers_abducted&printer=1

 

[meggilyweggily]

I'm not surprised the dad was on drugs. Meth in particular can make people incredibly violent and unpredictable. Alexia Reale's mother and stepfather, who murdered her in California in 1997 (they never found her body though) were also on meth.

Perhaps the father is mentally ill as well. I think you'd pretty much have to be, to do something like that to a child, let alone your own child.

 

[Dark Knight]

This link has a picture of the dude:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_on_re_us/brothers_abducted

This comment saddened me:
Later that day, Smothers said, she saw the boys and their father at the lake, where they had been fishing and eating hot dogs. "All day I heard them say, 'I love you, Dad,'" Smothers said.

Smothers' family called police later after seeing the Amber Alert on TV.

 

[Txmom]

Meggily, while we all believe that a parent has to be mentally ill to murder their own babies, lets hope that the courts rule that he is sane. Personally I want nothing to get in the way of a jury and or judge declaring that he is guilty and should be executed. I dont care that he was on drugs, he made the decision to take the drugs, and he has to accept the consequences of his actions.

The reason that I stayed with my ex for as long as I did was because I feared that my children would end up exactly like these two babies, needless to say the deaths of these two babies really hurts me.

 

[Bobbisangel]

"Walker and his sons had been at the home of a friend who did not know an Amber Alert had been issued for the boys, police said. When they arrived, that's when he ran from the home toward the lake."

So when did the stabbings occur? This seems odd that they were at a friends house and then were seen running toward a lake? Where was this friend?

It's just sickening/maddening - everything about this abuse/murder/attempted murder/kidnapping/assault - whatever you want to call it!

I'm as confused as you are. So they say Walker and the boys were at the friends house. Then Walker sees the police coming and he grabs the boys and runs towards the lake. The article says something about police seeing Walker running to the lake OVERNIGHT....which doesn't make any sense to me.

Then the oldest boy is pulled from the water and is dead. Walker stabs himself and stabs the little one.

If Walker was running from the police why did it take so long for them to catch up with him? He had time to drown one son, stab the other and then to stab himself? What were the police doing...crawling? This article isn't making any sense. I hope the little guy lives and will be alright. Their poor mom. Why in the world do these guys want to harm their own children. I hope the dad lives just so he can go to trial and make friends with the needle.

 

[dottierainbow]

Katron was hiding in a trailer with the boys. It is believed they were stabbed in there.It was reported on news last night that the police were waiting on a dog before they went in. Katron had both boys and went in the water. The woman who called police there in th 1st place grabbed the 2 year old Monte.The water was murky and it was dark and I believe it took 1.5 hrs. to find Collin.

 

[dottierainbow]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS01/606150484/1006



Amber Alert's timing defended
Police say they doubt earlier alert would've helped them find boys, 1 of whom was killed.

Bergherm said he didn't think issuing an Amber Alert earlier in the day would have made any difference because people who might have seen him near the lake where he was found were either not watching television or were unaware he was there Tuesday night.
Police were closing in on Walker at the lake in Blackhawk, just south of Terre Haute, when he suddenly bolted from an abandoned trailer late Tuesday and ran into the lake, carrying his two sons........

Amy

 

[MistyM]

they probably had no idea what was going on, they just were happy to see their daddy. then he takes their lives. what a dispicable PIG.

 

[dottierainbow]

Father may face murder charge in death of son

TERRE HAUTE — Police say they tried to pull 4-year-old Collin Walker from the deadly grip of his father as Katron Walker lunged into a murky lake with his bleeding son, but they couldn’t free him.

Collin died Tuesday, not from drowning, but from a fatal stab wound to the heart, inflicted, police say, by his dad.

Officers did wrestle 2-year-old Monte Walker away from his father, they say. The child is recovering at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis from stab wounds to his chest and neck...........



http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_165080714.html?keyword=topstory

 

[TKSands]

When I heard the woman that had been there when this all went down talk about how the dad and 2 boys were with her that day and took a nap in her tent and ate hot dogs with her family, it just broke my heart. How could he go from being "super Dad" during the day to killing these boys that night. He must have waited for this woman to leave his sight. It's incredible to think about. He is a rotten SOB. He doesn't deserve any court time. He's clearly responsible for this brutal attack and should be in an express lane for punishment. There is no reason good enough to go to court and explain. I certainly do not want to hear his side of this story. As I said before, the Mom to these precious babies needs to be the one to give out the punishment. Not my tax dollars.

 

[dark_shadows]

Hi SewingDeb,

Thanks for posting this article.This is beyond belief.I found this on Fox News;
news link


Anita Joy Smothers, who lives nearby, said she went into the water in an attempt to help the children and demanded to know where Walker had dropped Collin. "He's grinning and he goes, 'He's probably at the bottom of the lake by now,'" she said.

Police said Walker, 32, had self-inflicted stab wounds in his chest and marijuana and methamphetamine in his system. He and his younger son were hospitalized and expected to survive.

Walker faces charges of murder and attempted murder.

Despite the knifepoint abduction, it took seven hours for authorities to issue an Amber Alert. The process was slowed because Indiana does not normally issue Amber Alerts in child custody cases, police said.
Bill Bergherm, Terre Haute assistant chief of detectives, said there was not "a lot of delay" in issuing the alert. Police first had to determine whether they had enough information to issue it, he said.

Walker's wife, Theresa, had told him on Sunday she wanted a divorce and moved into a shelter with her sons, authorities said. She filed an order of protection against him Tuesday morning, saying she had received a threatening call from him, police said.

Later that day, Smothers said, she saw the boys and their father at the lake, where they had been fishing and eating hot dogs. "All day I heard them say, 'I love you, Dad,'" Smothers said.

Smothers' family called police later after seeing the Amber Alert on TV.

 

[Dark Knight]

From the article posted earlier:

Walker’s friend, Steve Conrad, had driven him to the home, police said, where Walker grabbed the boys from the back yard. They had been picking strawberries.

Police say Walker then waved a knife at Conrad, forcing him from the van.

Dwyer’s sister, Melanie Wright, tried to get the boys back.

“She had ahold of Collin’s leg,” said Julie Wright, Melanie Wright’s daughter. “She was trying to get them out of the van, when [Walker] pushed her down and kicked her twice in the chest. He was waving the knife, trying to slice her. She fought for the boys, and she got beat up pretty good.”

 

[Bobbisangel]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS01/606150484/1006



Amber Alert's timing defended
Police say they doubt earlier alert would've helped them find boys, 1 of whom was killed.

Bergherm said he didn't think issuing an Amber Alert earlier in the day would have made any difference because people who might have seen him near the lake where he was found were either not watching television or were unaware he was there Tuesday night.
Police were closing in on Walker at the lake in Blackhawk, just south of Terre Haute, when he suddenly bolted from an abandoned trailer late Tuesday and ran into the lake, carrying his two sons........

Amy

It doesn't matter whether LE think an earlier Amber Alert would have made a difference or not. When LE know that something like this has happened they should get that alert out immediately.....not later. Their usual excuse is "well an alert didn't fit all of the criteria" but when they have everything that they need there is no excuse for not getting the alert our right away. Maybe that dad didn't go right to that trailer. Maybe someone would have seen him on the road in his vehicle. Sounds like they are trying to cover their butts to me.

 

[dottierainbow]

I agree with you Bobbisangel.

Amy

 

[deespoohbear]

I live in Indiana, and as you can imagine this case is getting a lot of publicity. The biggest question is why wasn't the Amber Alert issued earlier? (There was something like over 7 hours from the time the boys were taken at KNIFE POINT to the alert being issued). I would say anytime a child is removed by knifepoint, it can be reasonably be assumed the child is in imminent danger, regardless if the person is the parent.

This piece of crap isn't being held in the Vigo county (where Terre Haute is located), but has been transferred to the state pen at Pendleton for security reasons. :behindbar Too bad he didn't drown that night. It sure would have saved the state of Indiana a lot of money. I am sure the Vigo county prosecutor will seek the death penalty for this case. It was most likely have to be moved out of the Terre Haute area too because of all the pre trial publicity.

It is totally beyond me how anyone could hurt a child.