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Press Release

Shawnee Man Sentenced to Serve 20 Years in Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter on Indian Land

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Oklahoma
Federal Sentence to Run Consecutive to Defendant’s 40-Year State Sentence

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –  GEORGE EDMOND WALKER, 39, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Court Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange to serve 240 months in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter committed on Indian land, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  

According to court records and information from court proceedings, Walker and Marshall Scott Dent met on December 23, 2013.  During an altercation between the two men, Walker killed Dent on Sac and Fox Nation land near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Dent was reported missing on December 24, 2013.  Investigators later determined that Walker buried Dent’s body on Sac and Fox land near Shawnee in an attempt to hide his crime.  Later, Walker dug up the body and moved it to another parcel of Sac and Fox land near Meeker, Oklahoma, where he buried Dent’s body again. During the investigation, law enforcement obtained information on the location of the body, where it was later recovered by the FBI’s evidence response team. 

On September 15, 2015, Walker was indicted by a federal grand jury along with Anne Marie Johnson.  On August 22, 2016, Walker pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful removal of a dead body.  This afternoon, Judge Miles-LaGrange sentenced Walker to serve 240 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.  This sentence was ordered to be served consecutive to a 40-year sentence Walker is currently serving for his conviction of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Pottawatomie County.

"This crime was extremely violent and consistent with this defendant’s long history of assaultive behavior," said U.S. Attorney Yancey.  "We are satisfied that the combined federal and state sentences will ensure that Walker remains behind bars for decades."

On September 13, 2016, Johnson pled guilty to misprision of a felony and is awaiting sentencing currently set for January 4, 2017.

This case was investigated by the Sac and Fox Nation Police Department, Shawnee Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, Pottawatomie County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arvo Q. Mikkanen, Ashley Altshuler, and Lori Hines.

Updated December 21, 2016

Topic
Indian Country Law and Justice