Source: United States Department of Justice News
Memphis, TN – Keatron L. Walls, 37, of Clarksville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to a total of 37
years in federal prison for four counts of kidnapping, one count of interstate stalking resulting
in permanent disfigurement of a victim, and one count of using a firearm to commit interstate
stalking. A federal jury convicted Walls of those offenses after a six-day trial earlier this year.
United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on November 23, 2016, Walls drove from Clarksville,
Tennessee to a residence in DeSoto County, Mississippi where his ex- girlfriend lived with several
family members. Armed with a Norinco AK-47 style automatic rifle, Walls fired at least 10 shots
from the front yard into the home’s living room window. Four of the seven people inside the house
suffered gunshot wounds. One of those victims lost his leg due to the shooting, and another victim
lost a finger. The victims were not able to see the shooter, and Walls fled the scene before law
enforcement arrived. DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department personnel recovered six spent shell casings
outside the house as evidence. Walls presented a false alibi to law enforcement regarding his
whereabouts during the shooting. Law enforcement was able to disprove that alibi through further
investigation.
Less than 18 months later, on April 20, 2018, Walls kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, her five- year-old
daughter, and her boyfriend at gunpoint from their apartment in Memphis, Tennessee. He forced the
victim to drive them in her car to a nearby location, where Walls’s vehicle was parked. He
retrieved an AK-47 style rifle from his car and put it into the trunk of the victim’s car. After
that, he ordered the victim to drive back to her apartment, where he forced her to lock her
daughter inside the apartment by herself. He then ordered her to drive to a house in Marshall
County, Mississippi where Walls’s
relative lived. During the drive, Walls threatened to kill both victims and hit them with one of his two pistols. When they arrived at the house, Walls forced both victims out of the car,
onto their knees, and fired three gunshots past their heads. After arguing with several family
members about whether he should let the victims go, Walls directed both victims back into the car.
He forced them to drive into Shelby County, Tennessee, where officers were able to stop the car and
rescue both victims.
Forensic ballistics testing showed that the AK-47 style rifle in the car’s trunk matched the spent
shell casings recovered from the November 23, 2016, shooting in DeSoto County, Mississippi.
“This sentencing demonstrates there is no tolerance for this type of criminal activity and cruel
treatment of victims,” said Douglas M. Korneski, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation Memphis Field Office. “The FBI is committed to working closely with our law
enforcement partners to protect victims and bring those who commit such heinous acts to justice.”
On September 8, 2022, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr., sentenced Walls to a total
of 37 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no
parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s
Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Memphis Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tony Arvin and Murre Foster prosecuted this case on behalf of the
government.
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