Naman Shrestha
In early November 2013, an esteemed firefighter named William L. Walker was fatally attacked outside his Cleveland house. The tragic killing left the entire community shell-shocked, while grief took over his loved ones. The murder case is covered in a detailed manner in Paramount+’s ‘Murder 360: First Response,’ which also explores the intricate details of the investigation that followed, including police interviews with suspects. As the investigation progressed, a disturbing murder-for-hire plot was uncovered by the detectives.
William Walker Was Found Dead Outside His House A Few Months After His Promotion
The beloved son of Evelyn Walker, William L. Walker, was born on August 2, 1968. He was raised in a loving household with his siblings, LeWayne and LaTasha Walker. Lovingly referred to as Will by his friends and family, he was a compassionate individual who mostly kept to himself. However, he never hesitated to help anyone in need. Therefore, it wasn’t really surprising that he ultimately decided to kickstart his career in the Cleveland Fire Department in March 1998. Through his determination and hard work, he earned a spot in Rescue Squad 4, an expert unit of the department that comprised specialized firefighters trained in highly complex rescue operations, such as high-angle and rope-line missions.
Eventually, post the merger of the Fire Department and EMS services, William was assigned to lead and supervise the quality assurance service at the office of the EMT as well as EMS. Over the 15 years of service, William built a solid reputation due to his unwavering commitment to his peers and community. Owing to this, he received a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant at the mayor’s office in August 2013. Besides being a revered firefighter, he was also the 47th Past Master (PM) of Ecclesiastes Lodge No. 120, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA). Meanwhile, on the personal front, William was married to a woman named Rita, but the two later got divorced. In 2005, he met Uloma, a single mother of a 9-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. The firefighter was also a father to three children — Melody Walker, Christopher Walker, Jessica Hall — from previous relationships.
As sparks flew, William and Uloma began dating. After several years of togetherness, the couple’s life was turned upside down when Uloma was diagnosed with breast cancer. In order to let her get the benefit of his health insurance, William tied the knot with her in the summer of 2012. Just four months into their marriage, they made plans to move to the countryside and lead a peaceful life. However, that dream was shattered on the fateful night of November 3, 2013, right outside their house on Lampson Drive in Cleveland’s east side. The authorities received a call from Uloma around 8:30 pm. As they arrived at the scene, they found 45-year-old William unresponsive in his driveway with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. Despite rushing him to MetroHealth Medical Center, he succumbed to his injuries. While inspecting the crime scene, the authorities found four shell casings, which would help them in the investigation.
William Walker’s Murder Was Orchestrated by Someone Close to Him
First and foremost, the investigators interviewed the family and friends of William Walker, including his wife, Uloma Curry-Walker. She claimed that she didn’t hear any gunshots on the fateful night because she was allegedly on a phone call. As part of the investigation, the detectives set up a tipline to get tips from the public. Reportedly, they received several tips about someone named Chad. Upon asking Uloma about it, she told the police that Chad Padgett was the boyfriend of her 17-year-old daughter, Jackie. The investigators then questioned Chad, who alleged that he had no involvement in the murder. When the detectives interviewed Jackie on November 17, 2013, she claimed that she and Chad were at the latter’s house at the time of the murder.
During her interview, she revealed the truth about William’s murder and willingly took a polygraph test. She told them that it was Uloma’s idea to have him killed. Initially, Uloma reportedly asked Chad to do it for $10,000. She even gave him an additional $160 to purchase a gun from Christopher Hein. Both Chad and Christopher denied carrying out the murder, but the former got in touch with Ryan Dorty, who was willing to assassinate William. Furthermore, the text messages between the accomplices revealed Uloma’s entire plan of killing her husband, allegedly for the insurance money. On the fateful night of November 3, 2013, Uloma sent William to a local restaurant to get some food and kept Chad updated about the situation.
At the time, the couple was in the middle of packing as they were moving to a property outside the city. When the firefighter left the house for food, Chad and Ryan took positions, with the latter hiding behind the garbage in the Walker residence’s backyard. Upon his return, Ryan ambushed him and shot him four times in the chest. In order to stage the scene as a robbery, he also went through his pockets. When the detectives found a direct match of Chad’s DNA on the shell casings found at the scene of the crime, he was arrested. The arrests of Christopher, Ryan, and Uloma’s daughter followed. The authorities delved deeper into Uloma’s cell phone and financial records and learned that she was in deep financial trouble, as she had a lot of credit card debt. What shocked them was that she didn’t even have cancer to begin with.
Uloma Curry-Walker is Currently Incarcerated at an Ohio Prison Facility
While Uloma Curry-Walker pleaded not guilty, the rest of the accomplices, Chad Padgett, Christopher Hein, Ryan Dorty, and Jackie, pleaded guilty in return for testifying against the orchestrator of the murder. In exchange for their testimony, all four of them received lighter sentences. In 2016, Chad received a total of 28 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter with conspiracy, Ryan got 23 years for aggravated murder, and Christopher was sentenced to 18 years for aggravated murder and conspiracy. Meanwhile, Uloma’s daughter, Jackie, was ordered to serve one month in juvenile detention. The following year, on June 21, 2017, Uloma’s murder trial commenced.
During the trial, the prosecution claimed that her motive for the killing was financial, as she intended to collect the insurance money after his demise. However, it turned out that William still had his ex-wife Rita as the beneficiary of the insurance money. Chad, Christopher, Ryan, and Jackie testified against the defendant in the trial that lasted for about a couple of weeks. After two hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Uloma of aggravated murder, conspiracy, murder, and felonious assault. On August 8, 2017, the killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In the following years, she filed a few appeals to have her conviction overturned, but the court denied each of them. As of today, she is serving her sentence at Dayton Correctional Institution in Dayton, Ohio.
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