Lawrence Resident Sentenced for March 2014 First Degree Felony Murder

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announces Lawrence resident Dustin D. Walker, 31, was sentenced today in the Division Five courtroom of the Honorable Paula B. Martin.  This follows the March jury trial conviction for the 2014 fatal shooting of Mr. Patrick D. Roberts.  The Court sentenced Walker to lifetime imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20 years for first-degree felony murder and 130 months for his conviction from an earlier jury trial for aggravated burglary.  The 130 months will run consecutive to his lifetime sentence.  He will serve his sentence in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections.  If Walker is released from prison, the Court ordered he must register as a violent offender for 15 years.

A jury found co-defendant Archie L. Robinson guilty on March 13, 2015 of first-degree felony murder and aggravated burglary.  He was sentenced on April 16, 2015 to lifetime imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 20 years for the first-degree felony murder charge and 57 months concurrent to the lifetime sentence for the aggravated burglary charge.  The Court also ordered if Robinson is released from prison that he must register as a violent offender for 15 years.  He is currently serving his sentence in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Investigation into the case began at approximately 3:10 a.m. on March 8, 2014 when officers with the Lawrence Police Department (LPD) were dispatched to the 2400 block of Cedarwood Avenue in reference to a shooting at a residence.  Through LPD’s exhaustive investigation, they determined two men, later to be identified as Robinson and Walker kicked in the victim’s front door, charged into his bedroom and demanded to know, “Where is it?”  Within seconds, the victim was shot in the abdomen.  The victim’s brother and one of the suspects wrestled for control of the gun.  The gun discharged a second time and a bullet lodged into the ceiling of the townhome.  Robinson and Walker lost control of the gun and fled the area on foot.  Robinson and Walker were captured by LPD officers shortly after the crime, in close proximity to the victim’s home.  Mr. Roberts was quickly transported via ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, but tragically, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.  To contribute to the tragic nature of the event, not only was the victim’s brother present during the murder, but the victim’s teenage son and his mother were also witnesses to the crime.

The case was investigated by the Lawrence Police Department and Walker’s trial was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Amy McGowan and C.J. Rieg.

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