Robert Shannon Walker

Case information

Robert Shannon Walker, II was sentenced to death on December 13, 2004. He was born on 12/20/71. His case was filed in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Brevard County, Florida, under Case # 03-CF-3250 (DC# 126605). The date of offense was 01/27/03. The sentencing judge was The Honorable Charles Holcomb. The trial attorney was Kenneth Studstill. The direct appeal attorney was Baya Harrison – Private Attorney. The collateral appeals were Marie-Louise Samuels Parmer, Maria Deliberato, & Nathaniel Plucker – CCRC-M.

Timeline

• 01/26/03 — David Hamman, Leslie Ritter, and Loriann Gibson arrived at the apartment of Joel Gibson in Palm Bay, Brevard County, where Walker and his girlfriend, Leigh Ford, were already inside.
• 01/27/03 — Date of offense.
• 01/28/03 — Walker was indicted on Count I (First-Degree Murder), Count II (Kidnapping), and Count III (Aggravated Battery).
• 07/27/04 — The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the indictment.
• 07/28/04 — The jury recommended death by a vote of 7–5.
• 12/13/04 — The court sentenced Walker: Count I (First-Degree Murder) to death; Count II (Kidnapping) to 30 years; Count III (Aggravated Battery) to 15 years.
• 01/04/05 — Walker filed a direct appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
• 05/03/07 — The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence.
• 05/25/07 — The Mandate was issued.

Background

Walker was bipolar, according to the Initial Brief of Appellant.

The offence

Robert Walker was convicted and sentenced to death for the drug-related beating, kidnapping, and murder of David Hamman.

On the evening of 01/26/03, David Hamman, Leslie Ritter, and Loriann Gibson arrived at the apartment of Joel Gibson in the city of Palm Bay in Brevard County, Florida. Already inside were Joel Gibson, Walker, and Walker’s girlfriend, Leigh Ford.

Immediately following the arrival, Walker and Ford attacked Hamman, beating him with various objects including a metal Maglite flashlight and a blackjack. Suspecting Hamman to be a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, the couple forced Hamman and his companions to strip off their clothes in order to search for wires. After the search, Ritter and Loriann Gibson were confined to the back bedroom, and Walker and Ford continued the attack, which lasted two to three hours.

Sometime around midnight, Hamman escaped the apartment and ran a short distance down the road before being caught by Walker and Ford. The couple laid a tarp in the trunk of Ford’s car and forced Hamman to get in. Driving separately, Ford drove her car and Walker drove Hamman’s pickup truck. The couple reconvened at the Tom Lawton Recreation Area, a state park.

Upon arrival, Hamman was forced, hands bound, to lie down with his back to the ground. Walker then shot Hamman six times in the face with a Llama .45-caliber pistol.

After returning to the apartment, Walker asked Loriann Gibson and Ritter to drive him to Georgia in Hamman’s truck. They acquiesced, driving him as far as Live Oak, Florida, before leaving him at a gas station when he exited the vehicle to purchase a map.

The two women then alerted a law enforcement officer of the events that had transpired the night before. Walker’s description was released, and he was apprehended that morning at the Live Oak bus station.

Walker’s recorded confession of shooting Hamman was played for the jury at trial. Loriann Gibson and Leslie Ritter also provided testimony in court.

Investigation

Walker was apprehended that morning at the Live Oak bus station after Walker’s description was released following alerts by Loriann Gibson and Leslie Ritter.

Arrest

Walker was apprehended that morning at the Live Oak bus station.

Trial

Walker was indicted on 01/28/03 as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder
• Count II: Kidnapping
• Count III: Aggravated Battery

On 07/27/04, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the indictment. On 07/28/04, the jury recommended death by a vote of 7–5.

The jury was presented with Walker’s recorded confession of shooting Hamman, and Loriann Gibson and Leslie Ritter provided testimony in court.

Sentencing

On 12/13/04, Walker was sentenced as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder — Death
• Count II: Kidnapping — 30 years
• Count III: Aggravated Battery — 15 years

Appeals

On 01/04/05, Walker filed a direct appeal to the Florida Supreme Court. In his direct appeal, Walker raised seven issues pertaining to:

• pretrial motions
• the constitutionality of Florida’s death penalty
• circumstantial evidence
• the weighing of aggravating and mitigating factors
• the admission of potentially irrelevant and prejudicial photographic evidence

The issues were found to have no merit or not supported by evidence. The conviction and death sentence were affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court on 05/03/07. The Mandate was issued 05/25/07.

Codefendant

Leigh Ford was the codefendant. Ford was convicted of First-Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, and was currently serving two life sentences and a 15-year sentence.

People

• David Hamman — victim
• Leslie Ritter — victim’s companion; confined to the back bedroom; later testified
• Loriann Gibson — victim’s companion; confined to the back bedroom; later testified; alerted a law enforcement officer of the events
• Joel Gibson — apartment host; whose apartment was visited by Hamman, Ritter, and Loriann Gibson
• Leigh Ford — Walker’s girlfriend; codefendant; participated in the beating and kidnapping; later convicted and sentenced
• Walker (Robert Shannon Walker, II) — defendant
• The Honorable Charles Holcomb — sentencing judge
• Kenneth Studstill — trial attorney
• Baya Harrison – Private Attorney — direct appeal attorney
• Marie-Louise Samuels Parmer, Maria Deliberato, & Nathaniel Plucker – CCRC-M — collateral appeal attorneys

Outcome

The Florida Supreme Court affirmed Walker’s conviction and death sentence on 05/03/07, and the Mandate was issued on 05/25/07.

Other details

The attack used a metal Maglite flashlight and a blackjack, and Walker shot Hamman six times in the face with a Llama .45-caliber pistol.