NKyTribune staff
A Kenton County jury took a little more than an hour last week to find a Covington man guilty of four counts of sodomy in the first degree and one count of rape in the first degree of a girl under 12 years old.
The Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office says Darrin Robert Walker, first raped the girl on a camping trip when she was four years old. The girl was finally able to reveal the attacks in a therapy session 11 years after they began.
According to court testimony, the victim said Walker threatened to kill her and her family if she ever disclosed the abuse.
The jury took just 15 minutes to recommend a sentence of life in prison for Walker. He is expected to be formally sentenced in September.
The Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office issued the following statement recounting the events that led to Walker’s conviction:
On February 26, 2015, Darrin Robert Walker was indicted by the Kenton County Grand Jury for Rape in the First Degree and multiple counts of Sodomy in the First Degree of a victim under 12 years old.
The charges against Walker originated when a child disclosed Walker raped and sodomized her throughout her childhood. The minor victim knew Walker through family members but was not biologically related to him.
The victim stated Walker first raped her when she was four years old on a camping trip in Ohio. After that trip, she said he repeatedly sodomized her in the basement of a house on Tokay Lane in Covington.
The victim also said Walker violently raped her at an apartment on Cintonya Avenue in Erlanger.
The victim said Walker threatened to kill her and her family if she ever disclosed the abuse. The victim believed his threats and suffered his sexual assaults throughout her childhood. It was in a therapy session that the victim was finally able to disclose the sexual assaults, 11 years after they first began.
After the victim disclosed to her therapist, the case was assigned to be investigated by Detective Tom Loos from the Erlanger Police Department. Loos’ investigation revealed witnesses who said the victim had disclosed the abuse previously but it was not reported to police.
The case was called for trial before Kenton Circuit Judge Patricia M. Summe on August 16, 2016. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Maria Schletker and Leanne Beck represented the Commonwealth and presented the minor victim as the very first witness.
The Commonwealth’s other witnesses included members of the victim’s family, Detective Loos, Erlanger Detective Trisha Blake, and Dr. Berkeley Bennett from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center.
The jury was presented with four counts of Sodomy in the First Degree and one count of Rape in the first degree. The jury deliberated just over an hour before finding Walker guilty on all counts.
In sentencing, Schletker told the jury Walker gave his victim a life sentence (of dealing with being sexually abused) and now he deserved the same. After approximately 15 minutes later, the jury agreed and recommended a sentence of Life in Prison.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders applauded the work of his assistant prosecutors and Erlanger Police, saying “The system works and justice was served. Hopefully this young lady can begin to heal knowing her abuser is in prison for life. Words really can’t say how proud I am of Maria, Leanne, and the Erlanger Police.”
Walker, 61, must serve 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. If he is ever paroled from prison, he will be required to register as a sexual offender.