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EDMOND, Okla. – The son accused of shooting and killing his mother and father in their Edmond home earlier this year was found not competent to stand trial. On Wednesday, a judge ordered 19-year-old Michael Elijah Walker into the custody of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. He was found not competent and will not stand trial in the deaths of his parents. Walker is accused of shooting and killing his parents in their Edmond home back in March. Edmond police responded to a home at around 2:30 a.m. on March 4, just south of Covell on Bryant, after receiving a 911 call from a 17-year-old who said there was gunfire in his home. The teen told police he heard his mom screaming and she yelled for him to call 911. “There was a family member inside that house that was making that call. They could hear the gunfire from within the house. They had taken shelter and called us,” said Jenny Wagnon with Edmond police.
Caller: He’s my brother and he shot my parents. 911 Operator: He shot your parents? Where are they? Caller: My father is in his room on the floor and my mother is by the front door on the floor. 911 Operator: OK, are they breathing? Caller: I do not believe they are.
When officers arrived on scene, they were able to safely get the 17-year-old son out of the house and, shortly after, they took his 19-year-old older brother, Michael Elijah Walker, into custody. Inside, officers found their parents – Rachel Walker, 44, and Michael Walker, 50 years old – shot to death.
Rachel and Michael Walker
According to a probable cause affidavit, Rachel Walker had gunshot wounds in her upper torso and several 9mm shell casings were found nearby. A pillow was found nearby with two holes with burn marks that were consistent with gunfire.
Officials say gunshot holes were found in the drywall, front door and a partial bullet projectile on the entryway rug. The affidavit states the father had apparent gunshot wounds in his head, face and torso. 9mm shell casings were also found around his body and on the bed. Gunshot holes were found in the side of the door frame, in the closet, ceiling and downward into the mattress. A Glock model 17, 9mm handgun was found on a mattress. In total, 19 spent 9mm shell casings were found inside the residence. Officials believe the oldest son reloaded the gun during the incident due to the gun’s magazine capacity of 17. A total of three Glock 17 magazines were found in the suspect’s bedroom. The 17-year-old told police his brother often carried the gun around the house “because he is paranoid.” According to the affidavit, Michael Elijah Walker told the 17-year-old “he shot their parents because they were sending him messages telepathically and they were Satan worshipers,” adding that “everything was okay, and he would bury the bodies.”
Michael Elijah Walker
Since the incident, police say they have interviewed the suspect who said he got into an argument with his parents after asking them a question about satanism. He told police the argument happened in his room and his gun was sitting next to him. The suspect says his father then “tackled” him on the bed, and that’s when he allegedly grabbed his gun and shot his father. When police asked where he shot his father, he said: “anywhere I could hit him.” He says he then shot his mother several times as she was running out of the bedroom and believed she was trying to escape outside the house. That’s when he told police he walked back to his bedroom and reloaded the gun before shooting his mother again. He told police his parents did not harm him, and said his father only grabbed onto his legs and told him to give him the gun. When asked if he would do it again, he allegedly told police he would and that he believed he did the right thing.
Michael Elijah Walker was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Oklahoma County District Court. Elijah’s attorney, Derek Chance, sent News 4 the following statement back in March:
“The family reports Eli has suffered from severe mental illness for several years. I have had an initial assessment done on Eli, and it clearly indicates he is acutely paranoid and delusional. This, we believe, explains the horrible tragedy this family has suffered.”