Today, Luis Anthony Walker was sentenced to life in prison for Second Degree Murder with a Firearm, with life in prison as a minimum/mandatory sentence. This case involves the defendant shooting and killing a man and his dog, as they were walking at their apartment complex in Lee County.
The defendant was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for Aggravated Animal Cruelty with a Firearm and 364 days in the Lee County Jail for Improper Exhibition of a Firearm. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
The defendant was also ordered to pay $7,500 restitution to the Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Victim Compensation Trust Fund and $13,207.38 for the cost of prosecution. Restitution to the victim’s family was ordered and reserved and the defendant was also ordered to pay more than $900 in court costs and other related fees.
Walker was convicted in May, following a jury trial in Lee County. Assistant State Attorney Brenda Wade, of the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, and Assistant State Attorney Leena Marcos prosecuted the case.
The crime happened in May 2020, just after 7 p.m., in an apartment complex parking lot, off of Gladiolus Drive. The defendant was walking his four dogs as his neighbors were walking their dog, at one point, the neighbor’s dog ran towards one of the defendant’s dogs. The neighbor pulled his dog away as the defendant yelled at him.
The defendant then went back to his apartment and returned with a firearm. He shot the victim in the chest and then shot the victim’s dog, killing them both. The defendant then returned to his apartment.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and as the first deputy checked the victim for vital signs, the defendant walked out of his apartment stating, “It was me, I’m right here.” The defendant was taken into custody and told the deputy he went to his apartment to change after the shooting because he did not want to be arrested in sweatpants.
The defendant initially denied bringing the gun to the scene, claiming it was not his, but a search warrant served at his apartment led to the recovery of the revolver used in the crime and the sweatpants the defendant was wearing at the time of the shooting.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office