
Red Walker ////// 822 Part 1 of 1 www.TrueCrimeGarage.com Anthony Guy Walker’s story is one of darkness and revelation, a haunting journey through crime and memory that shook Michigan. Known for a string of brutal murders dating back to the 1970s, Walker’s past reads like the plot of a true-crime novel—one that twists through multiple confessions, long-delayed court hearings, and the haunting reopening of cold cases. Beer of the Week - My ChemTrail Romance New England IPA by Dankhouse Brewing Company Garage Grade - 4 out of 5 bottle caps Thoughts about a case or the show? Post a comment on the blog www.TrueCrimeGarage.com Thanks for listening and thanks for telling a friend!!!
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Captain
SA.
Nick
Welcome to true crime garage wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Nick and with me as always is a man who's an Xbox. And I'm Moratari. Here is the captain.
Captain
Yeah, we're all playing games in the garage. It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.
Nick
Today. I am quite excited about this one right here. Captain. This week we are featuring my chemtrail romance by the good natured brewers over at Dank House Brewing Company. This is a terrific hazy New England IPA, dry roasted with a blend of four hop varieties, ABV 7.1% garage grade, four out of five bottle caps. And let's give some thanks and praise to our good garage friends for helping us out with this week's show. First up, a shout out to Vicky from Fife in Scotland.
Captain
And a big we like your jib goes out to Amy and Nash, Vegas, Tennessee.
Nick
Here's a double fisted cheers that goes out to Josie and Gray from Beaverton, Oregon.
Captain
And another we like your jib goes out to Linda in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nick
And last but certainly not least, we have a big cheers from us to Eric. But also it's a cheers to Eric in Kansas City from his garage listening buddy Joel in Tampa, Florida. Everyone we just mentioned helped out our garage show. Some of them are marines by the way. So thank you for your service and thank you to everyone who has contributed to the beer fun.
Captain
Yeah. BWR you in beer run for everything. True crime. Check out truecrimegarage.com and make sure you sign up on the mailing list. And colonel, that's enough of the business.
Nick
All right everybody gather round. Grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true cry.
Adrian
Anthony Guy Walker's story is one of darkness and revelation. A haunting journey through crime and memory that shook Michigan. Known for a string of brutal murders dating back to the 1970s, Walker's past reads like the plot of a true crime novel. One that twists through multiple confessions, long delayed court hearings and the haunting reopening of cold cases. His belated admissions to decades old slayings shocked communities and left families of his victims reeling. While his story became a flashpoint for the press. Walker's life and the cases tied to him revealed the frailty of justice and the eerie endurance of secrets hidden in in small town America.
Nick
This is true Crime Garage Adrian, Michigan, a small city in Lenoe County. This is in southern Michigan, not too far north of the Ohio state line. Another city that we will be discussing as well. This week is Blissfield, which is near Adrian. Blissfield is southeast of Adrian, so even closer to Ohio now. In the 1970s, early 1980s, this was a community deeply rooted in its agricultural and industrial heritage. With a population of around 20,000 at the time, Adrian maintained a tight knit atmosphere typical of many Midwestern towns. The economy in Adrian and surrounding Lenoi county during this period was characterized by a mix of manufacturing and agriculture factories, such as those producing automotive and other heavy machinery. This was a big part of the region's economy at the time. Now the city had a relatively modest, yet active social scene. Community events like fairs and local sporting events were central to the social life of the Adrian residents at the time. This is small town America. This is the Midwest. And we're going to go way back to 1979. January 15, 1979, to a small two story home located on West Maple Avenue in Adrian, Michigan. It's dark out, it's late when a young man named Francisco Torres went to his sister's home. His sister's 24 year old Yolanda Torres Madison. She lives there with her 10 month old daughter Jessica. It is unclear why, but he says that he went there to check on his sister. He knocks several times on the front door, gets no response. He says that he grew more concerned once he arrived at the house because all of the curtains were closed. So after getting no answer at the front door, he runs to the back door and he says he was pounding on the back door and again no answer. He runs back to the front porch as he was going to try the front door once again. But this time he notices smoke coming from the second floor of the home. This prompted him to of course find a phone and called the fire department. The fire department is able to quickly extinguish the fire. But the real horror of this story is when they go inside the house to try to find and remove any of the occupants. They locate three dead in a small bedroom on the second floor. The deceased are 24 year old Yolanda Torres Madison and her 10 month old daughter and another woman. This woman's name is Teresa Carey, 19 years old. The women were found tied up, badly injured and badly bruised. The baby appeared to be untouched. Autopsy findings are that the two women were were beaten, stabbed and shot. The baby died from smoke inhalation. The fire chief determined that arson was the cause of the fire. So we have a triple homicide case here. The house appeared to be ransacked. And some more information here. Yolanda Madison was shot once. Teresa Cary Was shot twice. All were found in an upstairs bedroom with their hands tied behind their backs. The Lenox medical examiner office spokesman said that the women also bore knife wounds but died of the gunshot wounds. Their bodies were not burned. The baby in the crib died of smoke inhalation bearing no other wounds. Police quickly learned that the two women worked together at s E R jobs for progress. This is a social service agency. Both were longtime residents of Adrian, and as said, the police stated that the house was ransacked, but there doesn't appear to be any report of forced entry into the home. And frankly, on this one, captain, as concerning as it would be, the Michigan state police were quickly brought in on this one. Of course, they were hoping to learn more about the house and the movements of the people found inside. However, the suspect or suspects who killed and set the fire and fled were a mystery. None of the neighbors saw a thing that night. In fact, the police told the papers, quote, we don't have any specific suspects now. We are not looking for anyone in particular, end quote. When they interview the folks that knew the two women best, they do learn of some activity from the night before. Police speak to one Deb carry. So this is no relation to the victim, Teresa Carey, but it is Teresa car's best friend. She tells police that the evening before the fire, she went to. She went with Teresa to a local Wendy's. Teresa ordered a Wendy single, with cheese and no tomato. Then they went to Yolanda's house, the murder house. But before the two went inside, Deb says that she's overcome with the sudden urge to go home, to leave the place and go home. We've seen this before, captain. Some people seem to possess the ability to sense evil. This Deb Carry escaped whatever evil befell the two women inside that house on that dark and cold January night.
Captain
So they end up stopping by the house earlier that night. Then they go out, have a little get together, and then on the way home, your friend is driving your home. And she says, oh, there's. There's somebody at my friend's house. I see a car that I don't recognize in her driveway. Let's stop and check on her. They pull into the driveway. Your friend says to you, hey, I'm just going to be in there a minute. And she says, well, how long? Well, I don't know, maybe 30 minutes. She goes to reach to open up the door handle, and something hits her. Something is. Tells her this is bad, this is. Something's not right. She doesn't tell her friend this, she just says, well, if you're going to be that long, can you just take me home? And then on the way home, and when she's dropping you off in your driveway, you're then telling your friend, hey, I want to go back and check on her, that it's too late. But she never stops her and says, hey, I have a funny feeling about this.
Nick
Yes, she tells her friend, at least recommends to her, you know, don't go back there. It's too late. But then she exits the vehicle and notices that her friend, even though she said that she would not return to the home, the direction that she takes out of there implies that she may be returning to that house.
Captain
And then you probably thinking to yourself, well, she's a good friend. She's a. She's going to check on her. It's probably nothing.
Nick
It's very strange. In this case, we have two. We have two people independently of one another. We have Teresa Carey's best friend, Deb Carry, who says, I got this uneasy, weird feeling, and I just. I wanted to go home. I recommended to Teresa, don't go back to the house. Teresa goes back to the house, and sadly, her and Yolanda are found dead the following day after the fire is extinguished. But we also have Yolanda's brother, who says that he. He decided to stop and check on his sister.
Captain
There's another set of eyewitnesses as well. This other set of eyewitnesses were just walking by the police station, but because this house was so close to the police station, they could see the fire or smoke coming from the house. And so they just walked into the police station and said, hey, we want to report a fire. And they said, where? Across the street?
Nick
Despite the severity of the crime and the outrage from the local community, there wasn't really a whole lot of evidence in this case back in 1979 to pursue any one particular suspect. And so the case goes cold. Now, it's hard to say why. And Captain, I think you're going to be able to fill us in here a little bit, but there was a person of interest in this case, and his name is Anthony Guy Walker. He's a man with a history of violence who went by the name of Tony Walker and oftentimes called Red Walker.
Captain
Well, like you said, there was basically no evidence, no leads. They were not reporting to the public that these women were raped and then murdered. They were just saying, we have murdered victims. And I think some of the people, local people didn't know were these victims that were Actually killed or were they killed because of the fire? Because obviously the locals know about the fire. But a couple days after the murders, Anthony comes in with his girlfriend slash baby mama to the police station, and she wants to report a missing gun. She claims she bought a gun three days earlier. She had it in her car. The gun was loaded, and somebody stole it. When they were asking her questions about it, they asked her, hey, was the gun loaded? Her boyfriend Anthony says, what good is a gun if it's not loaded? And they thought that was very strange. But you also have to remember these detectives know the murder weapon and this triple homicide is a.22.
Nick
That's correct. A.22 caliber gun. And that's the same caliber that the. The lady with Tony Walker at the police station is reporting to be missing or stolen.
Captain
So the problem with the detectives is Anthony has a solid alibi. His girlfriend is saying, he was with me all night. So he's still somebody that they keep on their radar, but they can't even connect him to the victims.
Nick
The murder weapon is not found. This Tony Walker, who's interesting to detectives, has a solid alibi. And they can't find any witnesses to put Tony Walker or really anybody else, any other good suspect at the scene of the crime around the time of the murders. And you're right, they. They did. Some of the holdback information here would be the sexual assault that took place inside that home. Like we said, this case goes cold. And it wasn't for a lack of effort here because this is a small community, the town of 20,000 people, roughly, and three of them were murdered. And then somebody set this fire to try to cover their tracks and potentially destroy any or all evidence that might be in that hole home. The case goes cold. But let's investigate this guy a little bit further because this Anthony Walker does have a history of violence. And even beyond that, he is interesting because he was a person of interest in an earlier case. So this dates back to September 20, 1975, when a farmer found a woman's body in his bean field. This is from the local news at the time. Woman's body identified. An autopsy performed at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing identified the body found in a bean field as Arlene ruth Salcedo, age 25, who lived at 615 Dennis street in Adrian, Michigan. So she's from the same city as this triple homicide. Ms. Salcedo was reported missing about one month prior. Prior to her body being discovered, State police in Blissfield stated that it will be a couple of days before the complete Results of the autopsy would be available now, later. What we're going to end up learning here, Captain, is not a whole lot in Arlene's murder because she had laid in that field. They believe for that entire month, that one month, that she was missing. And due to the time that took place, and they couldn't really confirm exactly how she was killed. So they. The only report that they put out there is that there was no obvious signs of a violent death. And the cause of death is actually never determined in that case. But because of where she was found and how she was found, they do ultimately rule this a homicide.
Captain
While her hands were bound by electric cord, and the victims of the triple homicide, the two adults, their hands were bound by electrical cord as well.
Nick
And I imagine with like we saw in the triple homicide, we have probably a decent amount of holdback information in Arlene Ruth Cedo's case, right? As said, this Tony Walker was a known person of interest in both of these cases. At the end of 1975, Tony Walker is arrested in a completely separate incident. This is for kidnapping and raping a woman in Adrian, Michigan. The kidnapping charge was eventually dropped, but that was due to a plea deal. He pleads guilty to sexual assault. He pleads guilty to second degree criminal sexual conduct. He receives a prison sentence, but he is paroled in early January 1979. The women in the house fire were killed January 15th. This is Days after he is paroled. Now, just days into the investigation of this triple homicide, Tony Walker picks up three high school students who were skipping school in Adrian. This was on January 27, 1979. He takes. These three kids are skipping school. They're, they're female students. He takes them back to his home. So this is what they tell police. The students told police that a man approached them who claimed to be a truancy officer and ordered them into his vehicle. The one girl among the group testified later that the man tried to force himself on her at his home. So he doesn't take them to the. The police station. He drives him back to his home, tries to force himself on her, but for some reason backs off. I think she, she pled with him and for some reason he. He decides to not assault her and then drives them all to downtown Adrian and just lets him go. Months later, this mystery man is identified as parolee Tony Walker. He's convicted of this assault on September 11, 1979. So Walker is now sent back to prison. He's convicted of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. And he's sentenced As a habitual offender. So he's going to get a lengthier prison sentence. This time he's facing 10 to 15 in prison. But think about that short period of time that we're talking about that he was out as a parolee. He's paroled early January. This triple homicide takes place on the 15th, and then on the 27th, he's picking up three underage high school students and basically kidnapping them and taking them to his home.
Captain
They're lucky that they made it out of there alive. And we, we talk about some of these killers having these black dead eyes. One of the reasons that Anthony stuck out to anybody that ever talked to him, anybody that ever met him, is he has these lizard green eyes.
Nick
He is a distinctive looking individual. You wouldn't confuse him for too many people, too many other people. In my humble opinion. This case is. Is interesting, but strange. It's a weird case where some of the information here is lacking as far as the general public goes. But the angle that is interesting to examine here is this guy, how did he manage to fly under the radar? And ultimately what we will learn about Walker is not only is he a person of interest in this triple homicide and then this other kidnapping and rape and murder that took place prior, but this man ultimately will spend the overwhelming majority of his adult life in prison behind bars. And it looks like, captain, you can't let this man out for more than two or three days or a couple weeks, and he starts to reoffend on all different kinds of levels.
Captain
Yeah, it makes you question the level of evil that he is or maybe the level of just not giving a.
Nick
And kudos to the Adrian, Michigan police department and those that assisted in this investigation because they never forgot about this triple homicide. They never gave up on trying to find ways to come up with a good suspect, one that they might even be able to take to trial to charge at some point. But as the captain said, this Tony Walker, while he said some things that they thought were a bit incriminating and he, he essentially puts himself on their radar by coming forward with this stolen gun that. Oh, by the way, the caliber matches the gun that was never found, never located, that was used in the triple homicide case. He's got that alibi. They can't put him at the murder scene. They looked at a lot of people in this case and they went back time and time again and re interviewed persons that lived in the neighborhood, people that knew the women. And as the captain inform me, they went back and interviewed Tony Walker's alibi multiple times throughout the years because it's in 2002 that technology is going to catch up with Tony Walker and they're going to find and be able to tell. The state of Michigan can prove and say we have Anthony Walker's DNA that puts him inside the murder house at some point, point in time. Now we need to find a way to link him to being in that house on the night of the murders.
Captain
Want to dive into that a little bit more. This case, like you said, goes cold for a very long time. I believe it was in 2001. A new detective comes onto the scene. Now, because he's a local, he was curious. I want to look into this case myself. And because it's now 2001, he's going, well, we have this Anthony guy. What is he up to? Oh, he's in prison. Okay. So even though he has an alibi and he was one of our suspects, well, let's test his DNA. But he was arrested and convicted and put in prison before there was the law that you had to give your DNA. So they're only going to get his DNA when he leaves prison. And I think he's set to be released in, like, five years. So they do have some time, but not a lot of time because they know if you let this guy out, he's going to murder again. What's fascinating, because they can do a search of his cell. So they, they do a search of a cell, and they don't have to get a search warrant for that, but to get his DNA, they have to get a search warrant. Well, the information they have or the evidence they have against Anthony is not enough to demand that he gives a DNA sample. But there's a special law in Michigan that if you can prove multiple cases could be connected, then there's some loophole there. So basically they go, well, we think he's responsible for this triple homicide, and we also think he's possibly responsible for this kidnapping and murder that happened years before. That's how they're able to get the search warrant to get his DNA and to get a hair sample from it.
Adrian
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Captain
All right, we are back. Cheers, mates. Cheers to you, Colonel.
Nick
Cheers to you, Captain. And cheers to all the people that have contributed to this month's beer fund. A quick reminder, we are partnering up to help the Keep Our Girls Safe nonprofit organization for the month of February. Every person that donates to the beer fund, all the beer fund donations, are going to Keeping Our Girls Safe. And we do have some random prizes that we will be giving out at the end of the month that we have spoke about on our last couple of shows. So cheers to everybody that has contributed to the beer fund in helping us to help keep our girls safe. This investigation. Captain, like I said, it wasn't due to a lack of effort that they had a cold case on their hands.
Captain
Yeah.
Nick
Now, what we do know is that over the years, the case got extremely complicated because of all of the effort that went into working this case. Because of the number of witnesses and the volumes of police reports written over the years, they end up with more than 300 witnesses that were spoken to and named in 3,000 pages of police reports and reports by police that made their way to this giant police cold case homicide file in the early 2000s. It's DNA that opened up the door for the investigators to start really honing in on Anthony Guy Walker. And as you said, he's already in prison.
Captain
But detectives have a problem, though. We have his DNA. He raped these victims. But because he has a solid alibi, if he's smart enough, all he has to say is, well, no, I had sex with them and it was consensual. And I have an alibi for the time of the murders.
Nick
A little more on his timeline here. So we know that Anthony Walker, or Tony Walker, was released from prison in June of 1993. But of course, he only remained free very briefly. He was charged with a violent sexual assault that occurred in December of 1994 in Wayne County, Michigan. Eventually, he's convicted of two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct using a weapon, and was sentenced to life in prison, meant with a concurrent 15 to 30 year prison term. This is, as said prior, he's a habitual offender. Michigan, the state of Michigan, has already labeled him as such. And what have we seen time and time again from this individual is if you let him out of prison, he will reoffend. On a long enough timeline, he will reoffend. And this guy really doesn't even need that long of a timeline. A DNA test put Walker at the scene of the 1979 Carrie Madison murders. Adrian police detectives opened a new door to decide to take these. When they decided to take the victim's clothing and other evidence that they collected inside that home to the Michigan State Police laboratory for DNA testing. This is going to take a lot of time here to break this man down and more importantly, to break down his alibi that was maintained by his girlfriend for all of these years.
Captain
Yeah, I. I believe this guy's a complete psycho because not only was he raping and killing individuals outside of prison, but during that search of his prison cell, like I was talking about, they found a huge list of the different men that he was either assaulting or that they were allowing him to do things to them in order for him to protect them.
Nick
Tony Walker, from my understanding, Captain, never threatened his girlfriend, never told her to. I don't know that he threatened her. But she eventually changes her side of the story and says and admits to police, no, he wasn't with me.
Captain
Let's dive into that real quick because this is what's important. There's all these little pieces that add up, and sometimes the hands of justice move very slowly, and in this case, they move like quicksand. Slow. Right. I don't know why they call it quicksand when it's slow.
Nick
In the 80s, it felt like every action TV show, there was always the threat of quicksand.
Captain
Yeah. Here, grab the stick around. Grab the stick.
Nick
It's very, very slow and. And very slow in this case, too.
Captain
So like we said, you have this triple homicide, and then you have the kidnapping and homicide that happened a couple years prior to the one in 1979. So by them connecting those two and saying these are similar crimes, we think these were the same offender. They were able to get his DNA. So that puts him at the scene of the crime or puts them in contact with these victims, but he has a solid alibi. But during the search of his prison cell, they find a list of men that, again, they were trading sexual favors for his protection. So they go find one of these guys and talk to him and say, did he ever talk to you about the, like, murders or crimes? And he basically says, oh, yeah, he kidnapped and killed this one girl and left her on a farm. And then there was this, you know, what they called a double homicide. Because he was just really talking about the. The two adult victims.
Nick
Correct.
Captain
But he told. Anthony, told this. I. It wasn't his cellmate, but it was his cellmate, if you know what I'm saying. He said to him, you know, I raped and killed these women and explained how he did it. Well, because they never released that to the public, the detectives at that point now know our hunch and our evidence, the DNA evidence is as good as gold. But we still have the problem of the alibi. So that when they go back and then they present the information to his ex girlfriend, or it might have been his wife at some point, but it was his child's mother, they can tell that she's scared. They eventually put pressure and say, look, we have enough evidence to put him away for the rest of his life, but the only thing that's holding this up is your alibi. But if that alibi holds up, then he's going to get out of prison in a couple years. And then she changes her tune. She says, well, look, I bought this gun. He took the gun from me, told me not to worry about it. The murders took place. He never told me he did the murders, but he did say, you're going to have to cover for me on.
Nick
My whereabouts, and we'll move a little faster than quicksand here in this story and throughout this timeline here, because it is an extensive timeline. We started 1975, and this thing goes decades long. Now, one thing we need a clue in here is Daniel Staggs, age 40, was killed in prison. He was incarcerated for armed robbery. He was stabbed to death and pronounced dead later at the W.A. foot Memorial Hospital. The incident occurred in Cell Block 4 of the prison of southern Michigan where Tony Walker was serving his sentence at that time for the rape conviction. I couldn't find a list of suspects in this Daniel Staggs prison murder, But I'm guessing anybody serving time with him or access to Cell Block 4 would be considered a suspect by the corrections and by law enforcement at that time. Right, we go, we go to 2010. After the 2002 detectives get the information about the DNA testing and find his DNA and can prove that his DNA was at this murder house. But it's going to take until 2010 to really start to try to wrap this nightmare up that had been just an open wound for this Adrian city of Adrian, Michigan, for all of these years. Originally, the way that this works is Tony Walker says, yeah, I know you guys got evidence. I know maybe you got my girlfriend or wife to flip on my alibi, but I didn't do this. He pleads not guilty to the triple homicide. He is going to fight this in court. And in fact, he says he's going to represent himself. Well, at some point, he changes his strategy and he takes on.
Captain
Changes his tune.
Nick
Yeah, he takes on a public defender who is going to represent him. This process kind of drags on, but what will ultimately end up happening is I think the attorney convinced him, like, look, they have a open and shut case on you, my friend. Like, you, you are in big trouble. And you, you might want to take kind of control of this situation by telling us all what happened. Eventually, he. He's going to plead guilty to this homicide, but he's also going to plead guilty to several other homicides, some in which he was not even a suspect in those investigations.
Captain
I think once he knew that his goose was cooked, that it was just time for him to come clean. But what's weird is, you know, before the sentencing, they'll have the victim's family and friends give statements. Yeah, this guy, old lizard eyes, as he's getting handed down his sentence, all the detectives, they're like, you wouldn't have known if he was just getting a speeding ticket or getting put away for the rest of his life. That's how nonchalant this guy is.
Nick
Well, and being told that he's going back to prison is something that he's frankly used to. Right. It's not a big shocker to him. He's known all this time he's done these horrible things, but he regularly getting busted. What's bizarre here is that it feels like the crimes that he was able to remain elusive and go mostly undetected were the crimes that resulted in murder, the times that he kidnapped and assaulted persons. He got eventually got picked up and got sentenced and sent off to prison for those crimes.
Captain
I think that's because if you met this guy and you saw him and you saw those eyes, you would never forget him. So he'd be an easy person to identify. And I Don't know if this guy is a killer that just liked to rape. I think he was a rapist that decided to cover up his crimes by killing.
Nick
I agree. And that's what I think was missing from a lot of the public information regarding the triple homicide. Was it always read in the reports that came out about it, it always sounded like it was a robbery. And. And later when Walker ends up pleading guilty to this triple homicide, he. He describes it as such. He says this was simply a robbery gone wrong and he lost control of the two women and he had to kill him. In fact, th. This is how terrible this guy is be even beyond the murders, right? So even when he's admitting to all of his evil deeds that he's carried out over the course of. Of any time that he's let out of prison, right? He says, yeah, I killed the two women, but I didn't kill the baby. I didn't even set that house on fire. In fact, he's tell. Tries to tell police that no, the brother that came to check on his sister that night, he is likely the one that set the fire that killed the baby. Ultimately, he pleads guilty to these three murders, even though he says, yeah, I'll plead guilty to. To the triple homicide. But I. I'm telling you, I didn't kill the baby, didn't set the fire. In a plea deal, which I don't know what he got out of it, maybe. But what he ends up doing is, Captain, is he ends up pleading guilty to the 1975 homicide that we discussed, where Arlene's body was found in the. In the bean field.
Captain
Right?
Nick
But he also pleads guilty to Daniel Staggs. Now, this is confusing to me because there's. There's several reports on this Daniel Staggs murder. Some of the reports state that Anthony Guy Walker pled guilty, saying that he. That he committed the stabbing. And then there's other reports that state that he paid someone to kill Daniel Staggs.
Captain
Right.
Nick
I'm thinking that it's likely that he. Like you said, that he was. Probably got some favors or somehow somebody paid him to kill Daniel Staggs in prison. But he also admits to killing a guy named Floyd Beatty, who was found shot to death. So March of 1979, Floyd Beatty, this man, he lives in Manchester Township. He opens up his front door and he's gunned down. What we end up learning is that Walker said He was paid $2,000 to kill Beatty, but would never reveal who paid him. It's believed that it Was a. A drug gang that paid him to kill this Floyd Beatty. I'm wondering. I couldn't find the information on what kind of caliber was used to kill Floyd Beatty. I was wondering if the murder weapon was the same from the January triple murder, because this guy's not out for very long. How. How much access did he have to. We know he had access to this one particular firearm?
Captain
Yeah. It seems like it's common knowledge that Anthony was a drug mule for a time period and then eventually maybe became a hitman for that same drug cartel, if you will. But supposedly when they go to this is during the time period where he's just a drug mule and when he goes to the house to buy the drugs, the guy was kind of an old racist white guy and kept calling them boys or something, and that pissed off Anthony. So after they made the drug deal, he came back and shot him. And I think he might have eventually confessed to either a cellmate or maybe even to a detective, because he said, I came back to shoot him because I thought, screw this old racist white guy. And when the guy opened up the door, he starts shooting him in the stomach. I think he shot him multiple times. And he said he enjoyed watching how his body flopped and danced around.
Nick
His public defender was Robert Jameson, who said that Walker decided to withdraw his earlier request to defend himself in the case, stating that he needed an attorney's expertise in dealing with the rules of evidence and court procedures. Jameson's the one that pointed out that this is an unusually complicated case. Well, on top of that, they had to try to determine, well, is this man insane? They ultimately determined that he is. He's able to stand trial, but as said, he pleads guilty after the guilty plea, Walker sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole for these murders. But he was never. Even though he pled guilty or even though he confessed to additional murders, he was never charged. So he's not charged for the Salcedo, the Beatty, or the Stags murders, Even though he's confessed to committing these crimes over the years.
Captain
You see, all this becomes complicated to me because obviously those victims, families, and friends deserve answers.
Nick
Yeah.
Captain
But as far as law enforcement goes, you go, well, we got the guy. And, and we see in. In the triple homicide case, you're talking about, what, 20 some years to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. So if in these other cases that he's saying, well, I, I did it, but if they don't have enough of the pieces to put together, it's like, how much man hour are you going to devote to those cases to try to close them when you know that the guy is behind bars for the rest of his life, plus the rest of his inner demons life?
Nick
Well, they'll be able to clear those cases. Technically, they're not going to continue to work them. This guy's in prison, as you said, for the rest of his life. Unless. Unless some really great evidence falls into their laps. I. I don't think we're working these cases anymore. Now his public defender will go on to say that this is this man's attorney who says, I'm pretty sure he's murdered other people, right? And in fact, Tony Walker. And look, we do know that some of these serial killers are. One thing that they all have in common is they are liars. They constantly lie. They constantly make up stories. And we do know that some of them will become serial confessors, right? They'll start confessing to crimes that maybe they didn't actually commit because they want some kind of notoriety. He does appear to want some kind of notoriety, this Tony Walker. In fact.
Captain
See, I don't know if it's that he wants notoriety or if it's like I said earlier, his. His goose is cooked. So it's like, might as well just tell people what happened. And, and his, his kill count could be. Could be really large because like I said, I think his motivation is the rape. To cover up the rape. He. He murders. But if he was a drug mule for a time period. Well, was there any murders that took place during that time? He was a drug mule. There's one that he talks about shooting the guy in the stomach and watching him flop around like a fish and dance around. But then. Then he's the one that tells cellmates in law enforcement. Yeah, well, after I was a drug mule, I became a hitman for that group. Okay, so how many murders took place because he raped somebody and then tried to cover it up? And how many murders were just because I was paid to kill that person? And then how many murders took place in prison because he was getting sexual favors in exchange for protecting those individuals?
Nick
And he does kind of brag about his crimes in a way because he says, yes, I murdered a lot of people. Some were for pay and some were for pleasure. So his guilty plea in admissions in Leniwake county effectively clear up six homicides. Although Tony Walker, according to his attorney, Mr. Jameson, he says Tony might be responsible for two dozen others and says that he was provided by Walker with dates, places, and descriptions of people that he killed. And as the captain said, he said some of these were hired by drug dealers to kill and drug gangs to kill or others that he chose to murder on his own. Jameson goes on to say this person, Anthony Walker, is more prolific of a murderer than Ted Bundy. Walker killed seven people before he turned 18. Is the claim that Mr. Jameson states. Now it was difficult. One thing we hope to do when we set out to take a good look at Tony Walker or Red Walker is to try to connect him to any other outstanding homicides. I hope that police have some information. Jameson says that he's given this information to the proper authorities to see what they can do with it. My guess here, Captain, is that the information is lacking or maybe it's similar to some of these cases that he confesses to, but there simply was no evidence. They just may not have any evidence on some of these cases. But let's talk about one here. So there's one case that we might be able to connect into. And I want to read this. This is straight from the newspaper. So it says focus shifts to star witness as suspect and rape. This is out of the Detroit News, an article by Anne Sweeney. And it says the accused killer in a brutal west side slaying has been freed on bond after a defense attorney convinced a judge bite mark linking his client to the murder could have been made instead by the prosecution's star witness before his release. Rick Amalsh spent the last 10 months in Wayne County Jail. He was awaiting trial for the murder of his 34 year old girlfriend, Jane Frey. So investigators said that an imprint of teeth left by the assailant on Frey's left cheek tied the boyfriend to the killing. But perhaps at trial, the strongest evidence was or but perhaps the strongest evidence to lead to arresting this man was a statement given to police by Anthony Guy Walker. This is Frey's next door neighbor. He lives next door to them. And according to reports, Walker said that he saw the boyfriend's car parked outside of Frey's home and heard an argument in the early morning hours prior to Frey's death. And Walker notified Frey's family of possible trouble and accompanied her mother inside. When the mother found the body. And this poor woman had been stabbed 22 times in her chest and neck, the killer left the knife jammed in her mouth. Later, of course, when they find out really what this Walker guy is capable of, the horrific, horrible sexual assaults, rape, murder, kidnapping that this guy has done time and time again, he makes a far better suspect in this homicide case than the boyfriend does. So eventually, they. They release the boyfriend because suddenly he doesn't look so good.
Captain
Well, I'm going to get a little graphic here, but in the triple homicide, the first victim, after he raped her and she's bound, he raped the victims and then put their clothes back on. He has the victim bound and he places the gun inside of her mouth before he pulls the trigger, which I would say is exactly what you just described with that knife, just with a gun.
Nick
That is what some would describe as a special kind of evil. I mean, really a unique level of evil. And then in this case, that, this outstanding case here of Jane Frey, we have the defense attorney for the boyfriend who outwardly says and tells the judge, and the judge must agree because they let the boyfriend out of jail. And it's. He says openly, my client didn't do this murder. Anthony Guy Walker, the man who was willing to testify against him, is the perpetrator of this murder. I don't know what else will come of this here, Captain. I don't know. We have an interesting situation because we have a man who will never be let out of prison. He doesn't seem to have any problem being in prison. He seems to thrive there. He's willing to commit murder while behind bars if you let him out. He's only out at periods of, of his adult life. The most it appears that he was ever out at one time was maybe close to two years. But he cannot stop himself from committing horrific acts of evil when as soon as he's let out of prison, he's paroled in early January. He kills these three people on the 15th of January and, oh, by the way, guns down another man shortly after that.
Captain
Yeah. And then a couple weeks after that, he kidnaps three teenagers. I mean, this is a whole different level. And, and I'm. I think it's actually interesting that his attorney kind of compares him to Bundy because, yes, Bundy, horrible, evil individual. But think about how psycho, how evil, how tough this individual has to be if once he's put into a prison with other animals, he becomes the protector of those animals. That's a psycho. That is somebody you would not want to be alone with in a cell or in a room.
Nick
We need more information on this guy because as his attorney pointed out, that he may have killed a dozen more people. And as said, he's provided as much information as he can to the proper channels regarding statements that his client gave to him. I don't. I can't get a good handle on this Walker guy, though, because while we have situations where he pleads guilty. He even openly tells us about other murders that he may have had a connection to, but but eventually says that he he did commit them. He doesn't obviously admit to everything and he's lacking in providing details in a lot of these cases. So I I don't know how to peg this dude because it's Do I believe that he committed these other murders? Maybe up to a dozen. He's certainly evil enough, he's certainly capable of it. But is he just trying to make a name for himself now that he knows that he's locked away for good Foreign.
Captain
Thank everybody for joining us here in the garage. Each and every week I have a recommended reading for you. This week mine would be to just I guess it's a recommended listening, but go to our YouTube page. I've been uploading the old off the record episodes. There's like 270 some of the old off the record episodes. The new ones are available on Patreon and the Apple podcast app, but I'm going to be getting to all 170 of them for free on YouTube, so make sure you go there and subscribe. Col. Do you have any recommended reading for the beautiful listeners?
Nick
Yes. Real quick, before recommended reading, we do want to remind everybody about True Crime Garage and the Beer Fund and Keeping Our Girls Safe that is running through the end of this month and we will have some prizes to give out to people who contribute to the Beer Fund this month and that will be a safety pack from Keeping Our Girls Safe and a signed Delphi Murders book by yours truly. This week's recommended reading is titled Violence in the Valley by Robert Newell. This is a special shout out to Mary, so she is one of our wonderful listeners who sent me this excellent true crime book. Violence in the Valley is a book of short stories about unusual murders and other crimes investigated in the mid Ohio Valley by the Parkersburg Police Department Detective Bureau, the West Virginia State Police and other agencies along the peaceful Ohio river from Wheeling to Huntington, West Virginia. The stories are about the early days of the Detective Bureau through the 1990s and beyond, involving cases of kidnapping, murder, organized crime, mob hits, decapitation, murders, drug wars and other crimes with an unusual twist in many of these stories. So a big thank you to Mary for sending me this book. Check out Violence in the Valley by Robert Newell. You can find that recommendation and many more on our recommended page@TrueCrimeGarage.com I'd like.
Captain
To thank Mary for sending me nothing until next week.
Nick
Be good, be kind and don't litter.
True Crime Garage Episode Summary: "Red Walker" (#822)
Release Date: February 19, 2025
In episode #822 of True Crime Garage, hosts Nic and the Captain delve into the chilling case of Anthony Guy Walker, infamously known as "Red Walker." This detailed exploration unpacks Walker's heinous crimes, his elusive nature, and the intricate investigation that spanned decades, highlighting both the fragility and persistence of justice.
The episode opens with a profound introduction to the triple homicide that shook the small community of Adrian, Michigan, in January 1979. On the night of January 15, 1979, Francisco Torres discovered his sister, Yolanda Torres Madison (24), her 10-month-old daughter Jessica, and Teresa Carey (19) dead in their West Maple Avenue home. The harrowing scene revealed the women were tied, beaten, stabbed, and shot, with the baby succumbing to smoke inhalation caused by an arson attack aimed at concealing the murders.
Notable Quote:
Adrian: "Anthony Guy Walker's story is one of darkness and revelation... his belated admissions to decades-old slayings shocked communities and left families of his victims reeling." [02:34]
Anthony Guy Walker emerges as a central figure due to his extensive criminal background. Released on parole in early January 1979 after serving time for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, Walker quickly became a person of interest in the Adrian triple homicide. Despite his alibi, inconsistencies arose, particularly when Walker reported a missing .22 caliber gun—the same caliber linked to the triple homicide.
Notable Quote:
Nick: "Fitness to stand trial, but as the captain said, this Tony Walker, while he said some things that they thought were a bit incriminating and he, he essentially puts himself on their radar by coming forward with this stolen gun that..., he's got that alibi." [12:51]
Walker’s criminal activities extend beyond the Adrian case. He was implicated in the 1975 disappearance and subsequent discovery of Arlene Ruth Salcedo's body in a bean field, although the exact cause of death remained undetermined. Post his 1979 parole, Walker continued his violent spree, including the kidnapping and attempted assault of three high school students and the murder of Floyd Beatty in March 1979. His propensity for violence and recurring offenses painted him as a persistent threat.
Notable Quote:
Captain: "I believe this guy's a complete psycho because not only was he raping and killing individuals outside of prison, but during that search of his prison cell..." [28:54]
Decades after the initial murders, advancements in DNA technology provided new avenues for investigation. By 2001, detectives revisited the cold case, focusing on Walker’s DNA found on evidence from the homicide scene. This breakthrough was pivotal in linking Walker definitively to the murders, despite his previously unshakable alibi supported by his girlfriend.
Notable Quote:
Captain: "We have Anthony Walker's DNA that puts him inside the murder house at some point... we need to find a way to link him to being in that house on the night of the murders." [20:06]
Faced with mounting evidence, Walker initially chose to represent himself in court but later enlisted a public defender who recognized the strength of the case against him. Confronted with undeniable DNA evidence and pressure from law enforcement, Walker eventually pleaded guilty to the triple homicide and other related murders. His sentencing culminated in three life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Notable Quote:
Nick: "And eventually, he... he's going to plead guilty to this homicide, but he's also going to plead guilty to several other homicides, some in which he was not even a suspect in those investigations." [35:26]
Walker’s admissions didn't end with his sentencing. He confessed to additional murders, including that of Daniel Staggs and Floyd Beatty, although these confessions were met with skepticism and a lack of corroborative evidence. His attorney suggested Walker was responsible for up to two dozen homicides, raising questions about the extent of his crimes and the possibility of numerous unsolved cases tied to him.
Notable Quote:
Captain: "As he pleads guilty, Walker sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole for these murders. But he was never... he was never charged for the Salcedo, the Beatty, or the Stags murders." [42:16]
The enduring nature of Walker’s crimes had a profound impact on the Adrian community, instilling fear and mistrust. Law enforcement's relentless pursuit, despite numerous challenges, underscored the complexities involved in solving serial crimes, especially before the advent of modern forensic technologies. Walker's case exemplifies both the limitations and advancements in criminal investigations over the years.
Notable Quote:
Captain: "But as far as law enforcement goes, you go, well, we got the guy... How much man hour are you going to devote to those cases to try to close them when you know that the guy is behind bars for the rest of his life?" [42:58]
Nic and the Captain reflect on the sinister nature of Walker's actions, comparing him to other notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy. They emphasize the importance of continual advancements in forensic science and the dedication of law enforcement in bringing such criminals to justice, even years after their initial crimes.
Notable Quote:
Nick: "That is what some would describe as a special kind of evil... he has these lizard green eyes... he's known all this time he's done these horrible things, but he regularly getting busted." [38:37]
Walker’s Modus Operandi: Walker often tied up his victims, using their own clothing and incorporating elements like setting fires to obscure the crimes.
Impact of DNA Technology: The evolution of DNA testing was crucial in finally linking Walker to the triple homicide, highlighting the role of technological advancements in solving cold cases.
Unresolved and Potential Crimes: Despite his guilty pleas, many of Walker’s confessed crimes remain officially unsolved due to insufficient evidence, leaving numerous families without closure.
Episode #822 of True Crime Garage offers a comprehensive examination of Anthony Guy Walker's criminal legacy, illustrating the depths of his depravity and the challenges faced by law enforcement in seeking justice. Through meticulous research and engaging discussion, Nic and the Captain shed light on a case that underscores the relentless pursuit of truth in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Note: Listener discretion is advised due to the graphic nature of the content discussed in this episode.