On the evening of April 12, 2005, a resident of a Clinton, Iowa apartment building heard a scream followed by a series of popping sounds coming from a neighboring unit at approximately 11:15 p.m. The following day, the bodies of Steven Kersey, a 32-year-old male, and his live-in girlfriend, Renee Walker, were discovered in their apartment. Investigators found a violent scene just inside the door, where both victims had been shot multiple times at close range.
Bags of groceries from a recent shopping trip were scattered across the floor, painting a grim picture of a life interrupted.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly focused on Renee's ex-husband, Maurice Walker, Sr. A crucial piece of evidence, a bloody ski mask, was found at the scene on top of a kitchen drawer. DNA analysis of the mask revealed Renee's blood on the exterior and Maurice's DNA around the mouth area. Ballistics evidence also connected Maurice to the crime; a discharged bullet casing found at his home was a match to those recovered from the murder scene, and it was determined that a Hi-Point. 380 automatic pistol, a weapon he had previously owned, was used in the killings.
Prosecutors uncovered strong motives for the murders. Maurice Walker, Sr. was the beneficiary of a substantial million-dollar insurance policy on his ex-wife's life, and he had made the most recent payment just a month before the killings. Testimony from the couple's daughter revealed that her father was physically abusive towards her mother and harbored a dislike for Steven Kersey.
Despite Maurice's attempts to create an alibi by checking into a hotel in Chicago on the day of the murders, surveillance footage showed he was absent from the hotel for a window of time sufficient to drive to Clinton, commit the murders, and return. He had left the hotel about forty minutes after checking in and did not return until the early hours of the next morning. Based on the compelling DNA and ballistic evidence, along with the clear motives, a jury found Maurice Walker, Sr. guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his former wife and Steven Kersey.
