Morgan Briel Amaya was a 22-year-old Hispanic mother who was trying to get her life on track. According to her sister-in-law, Morgan was battling drug addiction and hoped to get clean so she could regain custody of her one-year-old daughter. Her family was doing what they could to support her and believed she was staying with a friend who was helping her.
On February 4, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Morgan and another woman met a man who picked them up and took them to his apartment in the
400 block of North Nellis Boulevard. The man, identified as 55-year-old Gary Walker, joined the two women in drinking vodka. As the night went on, Walker and Morgan began to argue. A witness told police that Walker became aggressive, and Morgan slapped him. He then left the room and returned with a gun. The argument continued, escalating into a physical struggle. As the two wrestled, the gun went off, and both fell to the floor. Morgan had been fatally shot.
The woman who witnessed the shooting ran and hid, but Walker found her. He allegedly held her at gunpoint, repeatedly sexually assaulted her, and then forced her to help him put Morgan’s body into a large suitcase. Desperate to escape, the woman lied to Walker, telling him she had a court hearing the next morning. He agreed to drive her there.
The following day, February 5, 2020, Walker drove the woman to the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas. As he went through the security checkpoint, she approached a court marshal and reported that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted, and that a woman had been killed. Police were dispatched to Walker’s apartment, where they made a grim discovery: Morgan Amaya’s body was found inside a suitcase in a kitchen closet. The Clark County Coroner’s Office later confirmed she died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide.
Gary Walker was arrested at the courthouse and booked into the Clark County Detention Center. He was charged with murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and eight counts of sexual assault. When questioned by detectives, Walker claimed the shooting was accidental and that the sexual contact with the other woman was consensual. He also stated that he had intended to report Morgan’s death when he arrived at the courthouse.
As of February 2020, Walker was being held without bond, with his next court appearance scheduled for later that month. Authorities have asked that anyone with information about the incident contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
