Walker Case to be Heard by Oregon Appeals Court Thursday

Lane County's judicial system and Eugene Police are at the center of the argument that claims key witnesses were not heard, and the wrong man was convicted.

Darrell Sky Walker is serving time for the June 2005 Manslaughter of Phillip Gillins, his attorney says the Oregon court system allowed the conviction of the wrong man.

(SALEM, Ore.) - An Oregon Appeals Court in Salem will hear arguments Thursday over the manslaughter conviction of an African American student named Darrell Sky Walker who is currently serving time in prison.

Attorney Ted Vosk says key witnesses were not sought out by Eugene Police during their investigation, and those witnesses would have told a different story; one that places blame for the death of Phillip Gillins on J.D. Beall, a friend of Walker's who was with him that night in June 2005.

The problems that led to the tragic outcome of a young man's death began when Darrell Walker and two friends were walking near Taylor’s Bar in Eugene. Two men standing nearby reportedly yelled racial slurs toward the two white friends accompanying Walker, who is black.

The racial slurs led to a fight involving the five individuals, and during the fight Phillip Gillins was punched and fell to the ground.

Numerous witnesses reportedly heard Beall bragging about his "knock out punch" but then the story apparently changed when Phillip Gillins of Portland, Oregon, died a few days later from injuries sustained in the fight.

After Phillip Gillins' death, Darrell Walker became the prime suspect, based on witness testimony that Vosk says is flawed. He cites a number of inconsistencies in the stories that led to Walker's conviction.

Eugene Police say they tried over the course of a year to locate Walker’s other friend who was with him that night, Ryan Joyce, with no success. But when Sterling Alexander of the NAACP set out to locate him after the conviction, he found Joyce in just a few hours of searching in Eugene.

Darrell Walker's mother, Alesia Walker of Riverside, California, says her son was wrongly convicted by a system that failed to turn up these key witnesses who could have cleared him.

"If my son is guilty, then I think he should serve his time, there is no question about that. I do not believe that he is guilty, and I know he did not receive a fair trial, that is what I want resolved. I want the case to be heard in front of a jury that has all the information, that is all we're asking for."

Past reports on Darrel Walker's case:

• March 3rd 2008: African-American Student's Manslaughter Appeal Will Test Oregon's Justice System (VIDEO)
August 7th 2006: NAACP Plans Civil Rights March in Salem
• July 12th 2006: Mother Fights for Her Son's Innocence (VIDEO)