Thursday, March 30, 2000
Drive-by killer no show in court
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Rayshawn Walker's relatives threw him a big going-away party the day before he was supposed to go to prison. He did go away the next day, but not in handcuffs.
The Colerain Township man was declared a fugitive Wednesday after he failed to show up for his final hearing in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Mr. Walker, 21, was supposed to be sentenced for a fatal drive-by shooting last year in the Skyline Acres subdivision.
Another Colerain Township man, 19-year-old Jerric L. Anderson, died after he was shot once in the chest.
Mr. Walker pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter last month and had faced up to 15 years in prison.
But when his sentencing date arrived, Mr. Walker was nowhere to be found.
Several of his relatives became agitated as they waited in court, largely because they had helped post the $200,000 bond that allowed Mr. Walker to remain free for several months.
Now that he is a fugitive, they risk losing the bond money.
Judge Patrick Dinkelacker did not set the original bond but allowed Mr. Walker to remain free following his plea. When the defendant failed to show, the judge immediately revoked the bond and issued a warrant for Mr. Walker's arrest.
“I didn't change his bond because he had complied with the conditions of that bond,” the judge said after the hearing. “I saw no reason to revoke it. I certainly have reason now.”
After the hearing, members of both families got into a shouting match in the hall. Sheriff's deputies were called to break up the dispute, and one man was arrested for failing to follow a police order.
Prosecutor Mike Allen said he is confident Mr. Walker will be in prison soon.
“The bottom line is, they'll catch up with him, and they'll re-arrest him,” Mr. Allen said. “The obvious concern is what he'll do while he's out.”
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