Meet Roy L. Walker

Roy L. Walker photo age 18 and his aunt Missy — Me and Aunt Missy, age 18

My name is Roy L. Walker (V-41346) and I am 37-years-old. I’ve been in prison approximately 19 years (I was arrested at the age of 18) and was given a Life Without Parole sentence.

Let me give you some background on me and how I grew up. I was taken out of my father’s house at the age of 12 due to child abuse and was placed in the foster care system. At the age of 13, my mother passed away from breast cancer and I felt lost. I went from one foster home to another, and then at the age of 14, I was put in a group home after going to juvenile hall for an altercation that I had with my aunt and uncle. I was always looking for that ‘family environment,’ and I felt I’d found that acceptance in the streets. I never went around looking for trouble, but I looked at my friends as my family and I was willing to defend them at all costs (sometimes even to the determent of my own safety).

At 18-years-old, I was arrested for murder over a misunderstanding (I now know). After 2 1/2 years, I went to trial and got a hung-jury, the D.A. immediately refilled the charges on me and after 2 years, I went to my second trial. The D.A. argued that I was the primary shooter (there was evidence to prove that I wasn’t), the judge gave instructions to support the primary shooter theory and after 24 hours of deliberation, the jury instruction was changed to add Aider & Abettor – 30 minutes later, I was found guilty for the new instruction.

Since my incarceration, I’ve done a lot of self-reflection. I received my GED while I was in the county jail and while I’ve been in prison, I have done several self-help groups: Victim Awareness-4x; Anger Management; Relapse Prevention; Denial Management; I’m currently enrolled in Lassen Community College, and I’m currently the Lead-Coordinator of the Lifers With Optimistic Progress (L.W.O.P.) Group at CSP-Solano.

After the self-reflection that I’ve done, I can honestly say that I regret the harm that I caused his family and the community, and I work every day to put positive energy in the world. I mentor young men that come into the system with a group called Life Line; the group tries to educate these young men on life skills and how to make better decisions and no go through the pitfalls that the mentors went through.

If I was given a second chance, I feel that I can bring positive energy to a community that desperately needs it. I want to open up a Group Home and help the youth that feel like nobody cares or understands them. I know this because when I was in the foster care system, I felt I was just a paycheck to group homes. I was to show the youth that things/life can be different.

Pic. 1 Me and Aunt Missy age 18
Pic. 2 Me, My brother, Father & a few cousins
Pic 3 Me & my brother before my mother’s death

Pic 4 me at Pelican Bay
Pic. 5 my sister, moms, brother and me