Walter P. Sanders was 16 when he was murdered on May 18, 1984, in the Mojave Desert region of California. Described as a teenage runaway, he met a man named Mauricio Rodriguez Silva on a Los Angeles bus; Silva, who had been paroled on May 7, 1984, persuaded Sanders to go with him into the desert. About five miles east of Pearblossom, Silva led Walter out of the vehicle and fatally shot him at close range with a shotgun, firing five rounds.

This killing was one of three linked to Silva in a ten-day span in May 1984. Silva was later charged in all three deaths; he had a prior conviction for a 1978 shooting death of another 16-year-old and had served five years in prison before his 1984 parole. Walter’s death ended a teenage life taken in a remote spot; anyone with information about Walter, his movements before May 18, 1984, or those who knew him is asked to come forward.