NEW BOSTON, Texas-Testimony is expected to continue Thursday in the trial of a man accused of inadvertently killing his wife when he fired a handgun at someone else in a Texarkana, Texas, neighborhood in January 2018.
Travon Walker, 27, is accused of firing the bullet that entered the left side of Kaitlin Lee's head and caused her death hours later. Wednesday the jury heard from a number of witnesses testifying for the state that the only person they saw shooting in the street on Apache Trail in Texarkana, Texas, the night of Jan. 30, 2018, was Walker.
Chris Shavers testified under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter that he and Murquan Neal each have a child with the same woman and had been in conflict throughout the day of the shooting. Shavers said he and Neal agreed to meet near some duplexes on Apache Trail and fight. Neal testified that when Shavers arrived he had a handgun and was accompanied by Walker.
Neal said Shavers handed the gun to Walker and he and Neal began exchanging punches. Witnesses to the fight testified that Neal was getting the better of Shavers when others intervened and stopped the fight. Neal testified that Steve Jones and he tussled before Walker fired a shot into the air, sending the crowd of at least 20 people running in all directions.
While many of the witnesses who testified Wednesday said they did not see who fired shots after Walker allegedly fired a shot into the air, Neal said he turned after hearing the first shot and saw Walker continue to fire the gun in his direction.
Carter asked Neal about an affidavit he penned late last year while in Bowie County custody on a vehicle theft charge. In the affidavit, Neal claims he mistakenly accused Walker of firing the gun and that he was going off "hearsay."
Neal testified that he signed the affidavit under pressure from Walker and that the statements in it are false. Under questioning from Texarkana defense lawyer Josh Potter, Neal said he only signed the affidavit because he was trying to "keep the peace" with Walker.
Shavers testified that he retrieved his 9 mm pistol from Walker's apartment that night. The gun was later seized by law enforcement.
Steven Jones testified that he rode with Walker when he went to Central Mall to pick Lee up from work at a Central Mall jewelry store sometime after 9 p.m. Jones said the three of them rode to the area of Apache Trail and parked in an alley behind nearby duplexes. Jones said Lee and her and Walker's dog remained behind in the car in the alley while he and Walker went to meet Shavers.
David Jackson testified that he lives near on Brookwood Drive near the site of the shooting. Jackson said he was at Albertson's, a grocery store which has since shuttered, on Richmond Road a couple of blocks from his residence, when he heard gunfire. Jackson said that after getting home he took a walk in his neighborhood to see what was happening. Jackson said that he came across a woman lying on a concrete drainage ditch in an alley who had a wound to her head and was having a seizure. Jackson called 911 and police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Officer Jonathan Price testified that he was already enroute, responding to a call regarding a disturbance in the area, when he was sent to aid Lee. Price said Lee was gurgling, struggling to breathe and unresponsive when she was rushed to a local hospital. Price said that after the ambulance left, he was approached by Walker, who asked what was going on and whom Price told a woman had been shot.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Officer Aaron Wafford testified that he was at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana when Walker arrived at about 10:15 p.m. Body camera video was played for the jury which showed Walker repeatedly asking to see the injured woman so he could determine if it his wife. In the video, Walker claims he was at home waiting for his wife to come home from work when a friend contacted him about a shooting and raised the possibility it could be Lee who had been shot.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Sgt. Steve Shelley spoke with Walker at the hospital as well. Shelley testified that it was "obvious" Walker had been drinking. Wafford's body camera video shows Shelley asking for Walker's phone number and Walker's reluctance to give it.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Det. B.E. Evans testified that he interviewed Walker twice following the shooting. Evans said Walker gave inconsistent accounts of his actions the night Lee was shot and at first claimed he left the area after hearing gunshots and never saw anyone fighting. Evans said Walker claimed he was walking toward the Apache Trail area when he heard the shots and started running. Evans testified that Walker claimed his wife and dog were missing when he returned to his car.
The jury of eight women and four men was instructed by 5th District Judge Bill Miller to return to the Bowie County courthouse Thursday morning to continue hearing testimony in the case. In opening statements, Carter told the jury the state is alleging Walker was committing the felony offense of deadly conduct when one of his bullets strayed and struck Lee as she walked in the alley more than 180 yards away.
If a person is killed by someone while they are committing a felony such as deadly conduct, they are guilty of murder under Texas law. If found guilty, Walker faces five to 99 years or life in prison.