Naman Shrestha
When Jill Walker walked into her 16-year-old daughter’s room on a chilly November morning in 2016, she found her with no sign of life. This tragic and untimely death of Emma Walker is covered in the episode titled ‘Shot in the Dark’ of ABC’s ‘Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20.’ Delving deep into the tragedy, the special takes the viewers through the events that led to the harrowing incident and the investigation that followed. It also features interviews with Emma’s family and friends, as well as the detectives plus attorneys involved in the case and trial of her perpetrator.
Emma Walker Was Found Dead in Her Bed
Emma “Em” Jane Walker came into the world and the lives of Jill and Mark Walker as a bundle of joy on March 20, 2000. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, she grew up in a loving family alongside her brother Evan Walker. A junior at Central High School, she was an integral part of the cheerleading squad, BETA Club, HOSA, and Young Life. She was described as not only beautiful inside and out but also always kind and caring to everyone around her.
Emma actually took cheerleading quite seriously as it was her passion. She was a competitive gymnast and a competitive dancer in her early years, so cheerleading felt like the next natural step to her. As per one of her seniors’ claims, the 16-year-old not only enjoyed leading the squad at events but also loved the football games. In fact, all was going well for her until the last few weeks before her demise. On the fateful morning of November 21, 2016, shortly after 6 am, Emma was found dead in her bed by her mother. In utter disbelief, she reached out to the authorities and informed them of the situation.
What first appeared to be a suicide turned out to be a possible homicide as detectives found a couple of bullet holes in the walls of Emma’s room. Upon inspecting the crime scene and the property, they discovered two shell casings right outside the house, hinting that two rounds had been fired at her as she slept. While one bullet had struck her behind her left ear, the second one had lodged right into her pillow. So, the police launched a homicide investigation without wasting any time.
Emma Walker Had Gotten Out of a Toxic Relationship Shortly Before Her Murder
Once the police were done taping the crime scene and collecting the evidence, they began interviewing Emma’s family, friends, and neighbors, who could be potential witnesses to the crime. In almost all the interviews they held that day, the name William Riley Gaul was a common occurrence. He was the 18-year-old former boyfriend of the victim, and the two had a long history, dating back to nearly two years prior to the fateful day. They’d actually broken up relatively recently.
It all began in the fall of 2014 on the campus of Central High School, where Emma caught the attention of Riley Gaul, the wide receiver of the football team. Sooner rather than later, the two started dating, and he made a positive first impression on her parents. As for the opinions of her friends, they said she appeared happy with Riley in the early stages of the relationship, filling her social media with their pictures together. However, over time, it seemed like he became controlling and possessive, as he allegedly did not want her to spend time with anyone else other than him. In the next two years, the couple broke up and got back together multiple times.
When things got tense between Emma and Riley, he used to send her hateful texts on Snapchat, which he regretted later and apologized for. These constant bickerings and toxicity alarmed her parents, who wanted her to cut ties with him for good. They even banned Riley from their home and took away her cell phone, but that could not stop the teens from communicating and continuing their relationship. In 2016, Riley graduated from school and joined a nearby college while Emma was in her junior year of high school. But around the time of Halloween that same year, Emma was grounded and not allowed to leave the house, except for school and cheerleading.
All Evidence Pointed Towards Emma Walker Being a Victim of Teen Domestic Violence
Emma broke up with Riley yet again in 2016, but this time it seemed final, which is why he did not take it well and tried taking his own life by swallowing Vicodin pills followed by alcohol. Thankfully, he survived. Still grounded, Emma was finally allowed out of her house to attend a gathering at a friend’s house on November 18, 2016. There, she told one of her classmates, Zach Greene, about some strange text messages she had been receiving of late. She believed that one of Riley’s friends was pranking her, but when she threatened to go to the police, the messages became all the more disturbing.
Later in the gathering, Emma told Zach that the text suggested Riley had been dropped off outside the house. When they went to check, they found him lying face down in a ditch near the property. When Emma emphasized they had broken up and told him to leave her alone, he walked back alone and told his friend Noah Walton that he had indeed been kidnapped. Things took a turn the next morning when a stranger dressed in all black rang the doorbell of Emma’s home repeatedly. Afraid she was in danger, home alone, and unsure whether her friends could help, she called Riley to keep her company.
When Emma’s mother, Jill, learned about the two incidents, she found it odd that Riley had appeared at both events and suspected he was playing games to get her attention. Worried about her scared daughter, she watched over her and even agreed to follow her to work and school for a few days to ensure she was safe. Just when things started going back to normal, Emma was found dead in her bed. So, when detectives spoke to Riley’s friends as part of their investigation, they were shocked to hear from Alex McCarty that Riley had admitted to stealing his grandfather’s gun just a couple of days prior to the killing.
Emma Walker’s Killer Was Convicted in 2018
Another friend, Noah Walton, told the police that Riley had asked him how to get fingerprints off a gun. Finally, officials brought Riley in for questioning and asked him about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He claimed that he tried to get in touch with Emma but couldn’t. He said that he went to his grandparents’ house and headed to his college, where he cried over Emma for a couple of hours. When asked about his grandfather’s gun, he straight away denied talking about it with McCarty and asking Walton about the fingerprints.
After the interrogation, the police collaborated with Walton and McCarty to set up a sting operation. They wired both of them with microphones and a hidden video camera as they “aided” Riley in disposing of the potential murder weapon. Despite all the risks and dangers, the two were determined to do it as they wanted to ensure Emma got the justice she deserved. As the operation was a success, the police recovered the gun and other evidence, including black clothing and gloves, which point to Riley being the strange man dressed in all black outside Emma’s house.
In light of all the evidence, Riley Gaul was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and other felonies, including theft of a firearm and aggravated stalking. In May 2018, 19-year-old Riley was convicted of these charges, and since a first-degree murder conviction in Tennessee meant a life sentence, he was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. He will be eligible for parole in his 70s. After the sentencing, the convict apologized to the Walkers and stated, “I’m sorry I took Emma away from you, that I robbed you of the experience of watching your daughter grow up. What I can do is tell the truth about that night… I wanted to scare her… I never meant to take Emma’s life. Again, I am sorry.”
Read More: Where is Riley Goul Now?
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