Derrick Walker was sentenced to death by the State of Mississippi for the murder of his next door neighbor. According to court documents Derrick Walker would stab the victim to death before setting the house on fire in order to cover up his crime. Prosecutors believe that Derrick Walker was robbing the house when he was surprised by the victim Charles Richardson. Derrick Walker would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.
Mississippi Death Row Inmate List
Derrick Walker 2021 Information
| Race: BLACK | Sex: MALE | Date of Birth: 08/17/1980 |
| Height: 5′ 11” | Weight: 180 | Complexion: DARK |
| Build: MEDIUM | Eye Color: BROWN | Hair Color: BLACK |
| Entry Date: 06/06/2003 | Location: MSP | UNIT: UNIT 29 |
| Location Change Date: 06/15/2020 | Number of Sentences: 2 | Total Length: DEATH |
Derrick Walker More News
he U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a Lee County man convicted of killing the former personnel director for the city of Tupelo.
On Monday, the nation’s highest court without comment denied a petition from Derrick D. Walker, who was sentenced to death in Lee County in 2003 for the stabbing death of Charles Richardson. Walker also was convicted of arson.
The Mississippi Supreme Court had upheld the conviction and death sentence in March.
“They affirmed his conviction, which is good,” said Tupelo police Capt. Bart Aguirre. “It’s one step further in our judicial system to see that Mr. Walker pays the ultimate price for his actions.”
Walker’s attorney, Capital Defense Counsel director Andre De Grury, was assisting with a case in Holly Springs on Monday and could not be reached for comment.
Richardson’s body was found by firefighters answering a report of smoke coming from his house July 17, 2001. Authorities said Richardson had been stabbed and slashed repeatedly.
Walker was arrested in Arkansas while driving Richardson’s car.
Richardson, 48, was a member of Lane Chapel CME Church and founder of the Lane Chapel Quartet, which made regularly appearances at community and church events in the Tupelo area. He was personnel director for the city from 1988 to 1999.
Walker and Richardson were neighbors, and Richardson’s half-brother was living with Walker’s mother. Investigators believed that Richardson may have interrupted a burglary when he was attacked.
The murder occurred in Haven Acres, once a high-crime area in southwest Tupelo. Residents had formed a neighborhood association and taken several steps to clean up and improve their community.
They saw the crime rate drop 80 percent, said former association president Mattie Mabry.
“What he did absolutely devastated the community,” she said. “Not that it took away any initiative from us to continue the work we’re doing. … I think it gave us more determined motivation to continue the fight.”
In his state appeal, Walker did not deny he killed Richardson but claimed he never intended to steal his car and without such intent, robbery could not be used to support a conviction of capital murder. The Mississippi court said Walker’s argument failed because he confessed to investigators that he planned to kill Richardson, take his car and go to Chicago.
The court also rejected Walker’s claim that the traffic stop in Forrest City, Ark., was illegal because he was never issued a ticket. Walker said any statements he then gave lawmen should have not have been used against him at trial.
Prosecutors said Walker admitted the car was not his, and he was found to be driving with a suspended license, for which he could be arrested in Arkansas. Prosecutors said Arkansas officers became suspicious when Walker changed his story, saying that he had bought the car from somebody.
The state court said there is no requirement that an officer issue a citation for a traffic violation to have a valid reason to stop or search.
The court said Walker could not claim a constitutional protection from a search “because he has no reasonable expectation of privacy in a car he stole and did not own.”