Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
A Bartlesville man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of a couple from Dewey. U.S. District Judge John D. Russell handed down the sentence to Lucas Anthony Walker, aged 22, who was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder in Indian Country. Judge Russell ordered Walker to serve 420 months for each count, with an additional five years of supervised release.
The case dates back to January 2023 when Washington County Sheriff's deputies began investigating the disappearance of Deborah and Larry Dutton. A search of their home led deputies to discover the couple deceased in a shallow grave in their backyard. Walker later confessed to shooting and stabbing Deborah and stabbing Larry.
Walker is a member of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody until his transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O. Johnston.
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