Walker found guilty of murder
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Judgment day came for Ricardo Orlando Walker last Thursday when a Jenkins County jury found him guilty of the April 2006 murder of Steven Harley. He was also found guilty of criminal attempt to commit murder and tampering with evidence. The jury reached the verdicts after deliberating just over two and a half hours.

Family members of Mr. Harley sobbed openly and hugged each other as the verdicts were read.

Acting upon the recommendation of Assistant District Attorney Michael Muldrew, Superior Court Judge F. Gates Peed sentenced Walker to life in prison for murder, 10 years for criminal attempt to commit murder and five years for tampering with evidence. The 15 years are to run consecutive to the life sentence.

Mr. Muldrew called the case one of the most vicious pre-meditated murders he had prosecuted and said he would have sought the death penalty were it possible within the constraints of the law. He later explained that certain statutory elements must be met in order to seek the death penalty, and the case did not meet all of those elements. Walker will be eligible for parole at some point, he said.

The body of Mr. Harley was found April 25, 2006 on the floor in the bedroom of the Hiltonia Road residence he shared with his wife, Tracy, and their two children. The cause of death was determined to have been multiple blunt force trauma to the head and multiple sharp force trauma to the throat. It was determined that he was attacked as he lay sleeping in bed.

Mrs. Harley had called 911 and reported a home invasion. She was later charged with murder and pleaded guilty. She received a life sentence for her role in the crime.

In testimony offered during the trial, Mrs. Harley named Walker as the killer of her husband, acknowledged an affair with him and stated that they had planned the murder in order to be together.

Attorney Willie Sanders attempted to mount a defense based on the premise that Mrs. Harley had killed her husband and framed his client.

"This is something that a woman with a whole lot of anger and misery in her heart could do," he commented.

Five witnesses were called in Walker's defense, including Walker who acknowledged the affair with Mrs. Harley but denied that they were planning a life together. He also denied having anything to do with the murder of her husband.

Walker acknowledged that he was in Jenkins County on the night of the murder, stating that he took SR 24 from Waynesboro to the Millen bypass and then U.S. Highway 25 back to Waynesboro, as he smoked marijuana cigarettes. Cell phone records submitted by the prosecution had previously established his presence in Jenkins County, something he had denied during initial questioning by law enforcement.

Two witnesses were called who offered testimony that they had seen Walker in Waynesboro on the night of the murder, and a third admitted to having had an affair with Mrs. Harley. The fourth witness was an inmate in the Jefferson County Jail who testified that Walker had confessed the murder to him.

During cross-examination, Mr. Muldrew aggressively attacked Walker's testimony, commenting at one point, "You came down for a purpose. You were a man on a mission. You came down here to kill Steven Harley."

The exchange became heated, and Judge Peed instructed them to "stop arguing with each other" at one point.

Prior to Walker's sentencing, Harley's aunt, Pamela Harley, spoke on behalf of the family. She first thanked law enforcement for bringing the killers of her nephew to justice and then addressed Walker.

"To Rico Walker, we say, Steven Harley is a better man dead than you will ever be alive. I pray your life every day from this day forward will be a living hell ... You are a coward ... You and Tracy deserve to live the rest of your lives in hell," she commented.

Walker's aunt, Ella Walker, spoke on behalf of his family.

"This is a critical time for all of us. We are deeply sorry for what happened, and we are all suffering. Somewhere down the line, you can get a bad apple, and it can spoil the whole barrel. My heart goes out to everybody," she said.

Walker was also allowed to address the court. Demonstrating no remorse or sign of emotion, he directed his remarks first to the Harley family.

"I know you think I did it…Believe what you want to believe," he told them.

Then to his own family he said, "Hold your heads up high. I'm going to be alright."

Moments later, Rico Walker, convicted murderer, was led from the courtroom in shackles as the final chapter was written in an almost unbelievable true-life tale of lies, deception, adultery and murder.