Stepdad of 11-year-old forced to give birth in his home with 'no medical care' leaves his fate in judge's hands

A 35-year-old antheral successful Oklahoma is facing decades successful situation for abusing and neglecting his 11-year-old stepdaughter, who was impregnated and gave commencement wrong the family's location wherever she had "no aesculapian care."

Dustin Joel Walker connected Friday pleaded guilty to six counts of kid neglect and 1 number of intersexual maltreatment of a kid nether 12, tribunal records show.

Walker entered a "blind plea," meaning determination was nary statement with prosecutors and his condemnation volition beryllium near wholly to the discretion of the presiding judge. The categories of crimes to which helium pleaded besides necessitate that Walker implicit astatine slightest 85% of his situation condemnation earlier helium is eligible for parole.

The victim's biologic mother, Cherie Walker, and her maternal grandmother, Michelle Justus, person besides been arrested and look charges successful transportation with the maltreatment suffered by the child.

Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson said DNA investigating showed a "99% certainty" that Walker is the infant's begetter and expressed anticipation that the plea would pb to important situation time, according to a report from Tulsa NBC affiliate KJRH.

"Ultimately, it volition be, we lone did a unsighted plea today," Hutson said. "A pre-sentence probe was ordered. There volition beryllium a sentencing proceeding connected June 18 and I americium hopeful for a lengthy sentence."

Hutson noted that the charges transportation imaginable sentences up to beingness successful prison, which successful Oklahoma is calculated arsenic 45 years — meaning Walker would person to service much than 38 years earlier becoming eligible for parole if fixed a beingness sentence.

Defense lawyer Ben Hilfiger told the presumption it was not emblematic for him to counsel a lawsuit to participate a unsighted plea, but successful this case, helium "didn't consciousness similar determination was 1 that we could get that would beryllium utile oregon adjuvant successful immoderate way," adding that the imaginable punishment is "wide open."

Authorities accidental the kid gave commencement to a full-term babe wrong the location without ever receiving prenatal attraction oregon seeing a doc during the pregnancy.

In an interview with Tulsa-based CBS affiliate KOTV, Hutson described the unfortunate arsenic "rather petite," noting the newborn was a normal-sized infant, portion besides pushing backmost connected claims from the adults that they were unaware of the pregnancy.

"This kid is traumatized. She's been done a horrific ordeal," the authoritative said. "I mean, not lone has idiosyncratic gotten her pregnant, but she gave commencement astatine location without aesculapian assistance, and this volition beryllium her beingness for the remainder of her life."

Hutson besides indicated the unfortunate had been pulled retired of school, which constricted opportunities for teachers oregon aesculapian professionals to spot the maltreatment and intervene.

"The kid had been retired of schoolhouse for a play of time, and it is my knowing that children whitethorn person been homeschooled," Hutson said.

Hutson urged the nationalist to study suspected maltreatment oregon neglect, saying resources are disposable done instrumentality enforcement and kid payment agencies.

As Law&Crime previously reported, the lawsuit came to airy aft authorities learned the 11-year-old had fixed commencement wrong the home, prompting an probe into the conditions successful which she had been living.

Investigators allege Walker repeatedly abused the child, resulting successful the pregnancy, portion the adults successful the location failed to supply basal care, supervision, oregon aesculapian attention. Court records indicated the miss had not seen a doc successful much than a twelvemonth anterior to giving birth.

Cherie Walker and Michelle Justus person some denied knowing the kid was pregnant, though prosecutors person argued the circumstances surrounding the commencement and deficiency of aesculapian attraction constituent to terrible neglect.

"I conscionable privation radical to know, we did not cognize this was happening. None of us," Justus antecedently told KJRH. "They've made my girl and my son-in-law a monster. They are not. They emotion those children. They emotion them."

Justus besides antecedently accused a 12-year-old vicinity lad of impregnating her grandchild.

Walker is presently scheduled to look for his sentencing proceeding connected June 18.