PENSACOLA, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man has been convicted of charges he murdered his wife in their home the day before Thanksgiving.
Darryl Walker is charged with the murder of Sheena Marie Levine. (Escambia County Sheriff’s Office)
A jury found Darryl Walker guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Sheena Levine, who was found shot to death in the home the couple shared on Nov. 22, 2023.
Following the jury’s verdict, Darryl was sentenced to life without parole. Darryl also pleaded no contest to a severed charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, for which he was given a concurrent sentence of 15 years.
Darryl’s daughter, Lyric Walker, said her father called her just after 5 a.m., saying he had “f***** up” and she needed to come to his house. Lyric and her brother, Darryl Jr., drove over and found the front door of their parents’ home locked.
After banging on the door, it eventually opened and revealed Levine lying on her side by the bathroom door, covered in blood. Lyric told police that her father was also covered in blood. Darryl refused to answer questions about what happened and instead grabbed a gun and said, “Baby, I gotta go. I can’t go to jail,” before running out of the home and disappearing.
Darryl was not permitted to own a weapon after a previous felony conviction for driving with a suspended license, according to court documents. Lyric told police that her father had purchased the gun she saw him take from the home a couple of months before the shooting.
TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 2 – 11/21/25
- Verdict:
- The jury found Darryl Walker guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife
- WATCH: Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial: Watch the Verdict!
- Darryl was given a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole
- Darryl pleaded no contest to a severed charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, for which he was given a concurrent sentence of 15 years
- State Closing Argument:
- WATCH: Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial: Closing Arguments
- Prosecutor argues defendant didn’t call 911 or ambulance after shooting
- Victim and defendant argued frequently according to testimony
- State doesn’t need to prove intent to kill, only that it was a criminal act
- Two 9mm guns in house – one recovered from victim’s purse, other given to brother
- Defendant claimed victim got the gun, but prosecutor argues he had possession
- Defendant’s interview statement doesn’t align with other evidence in the case
- Victim found naked from waist down in tank top, contradicting defendant’s claim she was “dressed up”
- Defendant was calm during interview despite describing traumatic event
- Gun recovered was a .45 caliber, not 9mm as defendant initially claimed
- Defendant claimed magazine was removed, but no separate magazine was recovered
- Medical examiner testified entry wound was from front, contradicting the defendant’s claim gun was behind the victim’s head
- Prosecutor argues this constitutes second-degree murder or manslaughter through culpable negligence
- Defense Closing Argument:
- Defense argues state failed to provide alternative theory of what happened
- State attempting to shift burden of proof to defense
- Only two people know what really happened that night
- Defendant gave voluntary statement to police describing tragic accident
- Evidence of struggle in apartment supports defendant’s account
- Crime scene investigator spent only 10 minutes at scene for her first lead investigation
- Defendant’s son altered the scene by removing gun from victim’s purse
- Defendant’s son didn’t mention seeing father with gun until almost two years later
- Forensic evidence (soot on nightcap) consistent with close-range shooting as defendant described
- Victim knew how to use firearms and had access to guns in bedroom closet
- Defendant was unfaithful and came clean to wife, leading to a volatile argument
- Defense argues gun was introduced during marital dispute and accidentally discharged
- State failed to prove case beyond reasonable doubt
- State’s Rebuttal Argument:
- Prosecutor clarifies no requirement to prove intent or motive for second-degree murder
- Defendant fled jurisdiction and only talked when caught and arrested
- Defendant’s reluctance during interview suggests deception
- Evidence of struggle and live round in kitchen indicates defendant worked gun mechanism
- Defendant’s demonstration showed gun behind victim’s head, inconsistent with entry wound
- Prosecutor argues defendant’s actions show consciousness of guilt
- If events didn’t happen as defendant claimed, it wasn’t an accident but a violent marital dispute where defendant introduced the gun
DAY 1 – 11/20/25
- State Opening Statement:
- Morning before Thanksgiving, Darryl Walker calls kids says he “fucked up”
- Kids go to the house, their mother is dead on the floor
- Told police during interview that she was mad at him, she went and got a gun
- Says he got the gun away from her and she’s hitting him and crying while he’s holding the gun
- Had the gun in one hand, magazine in the other
- She pushes away from him and his shot
- WATCH: Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial: Opening Statements
- Defense Opening Statement:
- Walker admitted to infidelity and contracting an STD the night Sheena Levine was killed
- She was angry, crying and hitting him.
- She owned multiple guns- she went and grabbed one and they tussled in the hallway
- Darryl Walker was able to get the gun away from her and he had the gun in one hand and the magazine in the other
- They embraced and then she got mad again and that’s when she was shot
- Argues shooting was tragic accident, not intentional murder
- Claims Walker was “terrified and desperate man” who made poor decisions after shooting
- Lyric Walker – Daughter of victim and defendant:
- The 21-year-old testified about receiving a call from her father, saying “she grabbed the gun” and found her mother dead on the hallway floor
- Described getting the call from her father him saying, “I can’t go to jail”
- WATCH: Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial: Tearful Daughter Recalls Seeing Mother’s Body
- DJ Walker – Son of victim and defendant:
- Testified he saw Walker pick up a gun from near the victim’s body before fleeing
- DJ told prosecutors last month that he saw his father with a gun while he was with him the night before the shooting
- On cross, he acknowledged that he did not tell police about seeing his father with a gun when he was interviewed immediately after the shooting
- DJ testified that he removed victim’s purse containing her firearm from scene before police arrived
- WATCH: Son Testifies In Darryl Walker’s Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial
- Jennifer Hall, Crime Scene Technician, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
- Testified about her standard procedures for documenting and processing crime scenes.
- She reviewed multiple crime scene photographs, including images of the victim, blood patterns, and shell casings; several required blurring due to graphic content.
- Hall said she collected a shell casing near the door, a projectile from a nightcap, and a live round, identifying each evidence bag in court.
- She did not recover any fingerprints from the scene; she confirmed the projectile weighed 29.64 grains, consistent with standard ammo measurements.
- On cross, Hall said she received a briefing before entering and noted two deputies were originally on scene.
- She confirmed she did not interact with Lyric or DJ Walker and instead relied on body-worn camera footage.
- Hall described photos showing what she initially thought were wood shards but later learned were chicken bones chewed by a dog; she also detailed disturbed bathroom rugs and a broken thermostat cover found on the floor.
- Additional photos reviewed (though not visible to viewers) included gun boxes in a closet, a gun retrieved from the victim’s purse, and two Wi-Fi cameras positioned at the front door and down the hallway.
- Hall testified no one suggested the air-conditioning unit was part of any struggle, and she saw no evidence of torn or ripped underwear found in the kitchen.
- She examined the nightcap in the lab and observed sooting around the defect, indicating the firearm was discharged from a very close distance.
- Hall said investigators told her the victim’s son removed the purse and cell phone before law enforcement arrived; she did not know when that occurred.
- She swabbed the shell casing for DNA, noting no fingerprints were recovered; any DNA analysis would be conducted by FDLE.
- WATCH: Thanksgiving Eve Murder Trial: Jury Sees Police Interview, Crime Scene Photos
Portions of this story were reported by a journalist and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
