Clarence Walker

Case record: Clarence Walker

Background

Clarence Walker was born February 25, 1929, and was a native of Tennessee. He was sentenced to prison at age 14 after being convicted of manslaughter. Walker was paroled after seven years and adopted a rootless lifestyle.

Walker clashed repeatedly with the law in his travels and served two prison terms in Ohio, on conviction for armed robbery and grand larceny.

Before his ultimate arrest in 1965, authorities believed he claimed a minimum of fourteen victims, including three in Cleveland, four in rural Michigan, and another seven scattered over Illinois.

The offence

Authorities believed Walker kidnapped victims and committed rapes and killings. The case details described killings that involved mutilation, burned-out houses, severed parts of bodies, and bodies found together.

In Michigan, authorities were hampered by the stubborn certainty that they were looking for a white man skilled in surgery. Walker was black, with only minor public education.

Walker declined to talk with homicide investigators.

Investigation

Authorities believed Walker was connected to the killings in multiple states. As years went by, detectives tried to link their unsolved crimes with the activities of Albert DeSalvo, Richard Speck, and Antone Costa, but this linking was “all in vain.”

The homicides were linked to Walker in summer 1970, when he was serving time in Illinois. Detectives in three states closed the books on 14 murders, concluding they were convinced of Walker’s guilt.

No charges were filed in view of his existing sentence.

Arrest

Walker was arrested weeks later in Chicago. After his arrest in Chicago, he drew a term of 320 years in prison.

Timeline

• February 6, 1965 — Mary Jones, 37, was reported missing in Benton Harbor after a late night of bar-hopping.
• February 15, 1965 — Delores Young was kidnapped off the street in Benton Harbor.
• February 16, 1965 — Delores Young’s nude body was found in the ruins of a burned-out house.
• February 16, 1965 — Amelia Boyer, 60, was abducted from a laundromat.
• March 30, 1965 — Seven-year-old Diane Carter disappeared from the same neighborhood where Walker was residing, under the alias of “James Darnell.”
• April 4, 1965 — The mutilated remains of Mary Jones, Amelia Boyer, and Diane Carter were found together in a secluded pine grove at Bainbridge Township.
• April 23, 1965 — Mary Jones’s severed skull was found near the home of a man listed by “James Darnell” as a relative.
• 1965 — Walker left town before he could be questioned; he was arrested weeks later in Chicago.
• 1945 — Walker was sentenced after a manslaughter conviction in Tennessee.
• 1968 — Walker drew a term of 320 years in Illinois for attempted murder, rape, and robbery.

Trial

Walker was convicted of manslaughter in Tennessee and was sentenced to prison at age 14.

After his arrest in Chicago in 1965, Walker was convicted of rape, armed robbery, and assault with intent to murder and drew a term of 320 years in prison.

Sentencing

Walker was sentenced to prison at age 14 after a manslaughter conviction in Tennessee in 1945. He was later paroled after seven years.

In Illinois, Walker received a sentence of 320 years for attempted murder, rape, and robbery in 1968.

Walker’s prior prison terms in Ohio included convictions for armed robbery and grand larceny.

Outcome

Authorities believed his crimes included at least fourteen murders. By the time of the later linkage, detectives in three states closed the books on 14 murders, convinced of Walker’s guilt. Despite declining to talk with homicide investigators, and despite no charges being filed in view of his existing sentence, the homicides were linked to Walker.

Other details

Victims and locations

• Mary Jones (37) — reported missing on February 6, 1965 in Benton Harbor; her mutilated remains were found on April 4, 1965 in a secluded pine grove at Bainbridge Township; her severed skull was found near the home of a man listed by “James Darnell” as a relative on April 23, 1965.
• Delores Young (19) — kidnapped off the street in Benton Harbor; her nude body was found in the ruins of a burned-out house on February 16, 1965.
• Amelia Boyer (60) — abducted from a laundromat; her mutilated remains were found on April 4, 1965.
• Diane Carter (7) — disappeared on March 30, 1965 from the same neighborhood where Walker was residing; her mutilated remains were found on April 4, 1965.
• The victims were located across Cleveland, rural Michigan, Illinois, and the described events occurred in Benton Harbor and Bainbridge Township.

Alias

Walker used the alias “James Darnell.” A man listed by “James Darnell” as a relative was connected to the April 23, 1965 skull discovery near his home.

Later linkage attempts

Detectives tried to link Walker’s unsolved crimes to the activities of Albert DeSalvo, Richard Speck, and Antone Costa, but this effort was described as “all in vain.”

Publications and classification fields

Michael Newton—An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers—Hunting Humans—included the following classification fields for Walker:

• SEX: M
• PACE: B
• TYPE: N
• MOTIVE: PC/Sex./Sad.
• MO: Shot 14-year-old boy; “ripper” of females age seven to 60
• DISPOSITION: seven years for manslaughter in Tenn., 1945; 320 years in Ill. for attempted murder, rape, and robbery, 1968

Walker was described in that classification as:

• a “ripper” of females age seven to 60 and as shooting a 14-year-old boy.