Family: Man suspected in mom's killing often threatened to kill
BLACK DIAMOND, Wash. -- When Ella M. Walker was found stabbed to death inside her home on Friday, her daughter was not completely surprised.
The woman told investigators she believed her mentally ill brother, Cecil D. Walker, had been "planning on killing Ella," according to the statement of probable cause.
"I knew that he was up to no good, and he kept a knife in his room," said the woman, one of the victim's nine children. Another sister told detectives Cecil Walker's behavior toward his mother had been escalating in recent month.
Cecil Walker, 50, has been charged with murder in the first degree, domestic violence, in the death of his own elderly mother.
It was Cecil Walker himself who alerted police about her death after walking into the police department with blood spatters on his face on Friday. He was holding a cordless landline phone that was "stuck on 911," investigators said, and appeared "very calm, yet eager to leave."
Detectives said the 82-year-old woman was found dead on a recliner in her home with multiple stab wounds, at least two of which would have been fatal. A large knife with a blade approximately 12 inches long had been placed on her torso, investigators said, and on the floor near the recliner were a pool of blood, a pair of eyeglasses and a set of false teeth.
When questioned about her death, Cecil Walker refused to answer directly and only made short and vague statements including, "It had to be done," "It just happened," and "I've been through a lot," according to the statement. When asked where the blood spatters on his face had come from, he told investigators, "It's most definitely from Ella," and "It could have been from the knife."
But family members didn't mince words about Cecil Walker's past when questioned by detectives.
Two people, including a niece of the suspect, said the man had repeatedly threatened both of them and his mother in the past. It was common knowledge that the man owned a large knife, family members said, and he often made comments like "You are next," "You should be dead already," and "I'm going to kill you and then your daughter." He also often discussed his plan to kill his family members, "one by one," interviewees said.
One family member said while she was planning a birthday party back in June, Cecil Walker told her, "It doesn't matter because I'm not going to be here much longer, and neither will she (referring to Ella)," the statement said.
Several members told investigators tension had been building between the suspect and the victim because the woman had wanted her son, whom the family suspected was using methamphetamine and marijuana, to move out of her home since the beginning of the year.
The requests angered the man, who broke things inside the house and often "unplug(ged) the home telephone without his mother's knowledge," cutting her off from the rest of the family.
They added Cecil Walker has a history of mental illness, and had been admitted to hospitals numerous times, most recently to Harborview Medical Center for a mental evaluation as recently as July, the document said.
One family member said Cecil Walker had been "acting strange for some time, although he was coherent enough to manage his finances and hold a conversation." The exact nature of his illness was not immediately clear.
Another person who spoke to the victim just hours before her death said, "Ella started to cry and then disclosed that she had again asked the defendant to move out of her house."
Cecil Walker has two prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He was also arrested for a domestic violence assault while living with his mother in 1990, but prosecutors said it is unclear whether she was the victim in that case.
Cecil Walker is being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 14.
The woman told investigators she believed her mentally ill brother, Cecil D. Walker, had been "planning on killing Ella," according to the statement of probable cause.
"I knew that he was up to no good, and he kept a knife in his room," said the woman, one of the victim's nine children. Another sister told detectives Cecil Walker's behavior toward his mother had been escalating in recent month.
Cecil Walker, 50, has been charged with murder in the first degree, domestic violence, in the death of his own elderly mother.
It was Cecil Walker himself who alerted police about her death after walking into the police department with blood spatters on his face on Friday. He was holding a cordless landline phone that was "stuck on 911," investigators said, and appeared "very calm, yet eager to leave."
Detectives said the 82-year-old woman was found dead on a recliner in her home with multiple stab wounds, at least two of which would have been fatal. A large knife with a blade approximately 12 inches long had been placed on her torso, investigators said, and on the floor near the recliner were a pool of blood, a pair of eyeglasses and a set of false teeth.
When questioned about her death, Cecil Walker refused to answer directly and only made short and vague statements including, "It had to be done," "It just happened," and "I've been through a lot," according to the statement. When asked where the blood spatters on his face had come from, he told investigators, "It's most definitely from Ella," and "It could have been from the knife."
But family members didn't mince words about Cecil Walker's past when questioned by detectives.
Two people, including a niece of the suspect, said the man had repeatedly threatened both of them and his mother in the past. It was common knowledge that the man owned a large knife, family members said, and he often made comments like "You are next," "You should be dead already," and "I'm going to kill you and then your daughter." He also often discussed his plan to kill his family members, "one by one," interviewees said.
One family member said while she was planning a birthday party back in June, Cecil Walker told her, "It doesn't matter because I'm not going to be here much longer, and neither will she (referring to Ella)," the statement said.
Several members told investigators tension had been building between the suspect and the victim because the woman had wanted her son, whom the family suspected was using methamphetamine and marijuana, to move out of her home since the beginning of the year.
The requests angered the man, who broke things inside the house and often "unplug(ged) the home telephone without his mother's knowledge," cutting her off from the rest of the family.
They added Cecil Walker has a history of mental illness, and had been admitted to hospitals numerous times, most recently to Harborview Medical Center for a mental evaluation as recently as July, the document said.
One family member said Cecil Walker had been "acting strange for some time, although he was coherent enough to manage his finances and hold a conversation." The exact nature of his illness was not immediately clear.
Another person who spoke to the victim just hours before her death said, "Ella started to cry and then disclosed that she had again asked the defendant to move out of her house."
Cecil Walker has two prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He was also arrested for a domestic violence assault while living with his mother in 1990, but prosecutors said it is unclear whether she was the victim in that case.
Cecil Walker is being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 14.