Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Death and Denials’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘911: Did the Killer Call?’ chronicles three separate murder cases, one of which is that of Larry Walls Sr., a husband, father, and grandfather, whose sudden killing sent shockwaves through the entire community of Unionville, Tennessee, in 2012. As the detectives investigated the mysterious case, they uncovered a shocking murder-for-hire plot that led them to the perpetrators responsible for the gruesome crime.
Larry Walls Sr. Was Found Dead in His Bedroom by His Wife and Daughter
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Larry Alan Walls Sr., was the beloved son of Ernest Winford Walls Sr. and Virginia Lee “Ginny” Litteral Holmes, born on July 25, 1957. Growing up, he shared a close-knit bond with his siblings — Brenda Cizney, Kathy Tingel, Gina Groves, Ronald Walls, Ernest Walls Jr., Michael Thomas Walls, and Donald Westley Walls. Around 1982, Larry married Susan “Sue” Bloom of Unionville, Tennessee. In the following years, the couple became parents to four children — Larry Alan Walls Jr., Melissa Sue Walls, Aelisa Ann Stacy, and Dawn Lee Walls. The residents of Unionville, Tennessee, Larry and Susan, also had six grandchildren after their children became parents themselves. On the professional front, he was an all-around handyman.
Unfortunately, his life came to an abrupt end on August 8, 2012, at his Unionville residence. On the fateful day, Susan and Dawn called 911, claiming to have found Larry dead in the house and asking for help. After the police arrived at the scene, they discovered the 55-year-old man dead on the floor, covered in blood. There were signs of a violent struggle in the bedroom, and the other rooms of the house appeared to be ransacked. Upon inspecting the remains, the medical examiner determined that he had been beaten in the head severely and had a large hole in the middle of his torso, with nearly 50 stab wounds. It was concluded that the cause of his death was a combination of the head injury and the multiple stab wounds. Thus, a homicide investigation was launched to get to the bottom of the case.
A Murder-For-Hire Plot Led to the Killing of Larry Walls Sr.
First things first, the forensic scientists examined the fingerprints, blood evidence, and other physical evidence at the crime scene to see if they matched any of the family members. However, they didn’t match any person of interest. During the investigation, the detectives dug deep into the personal life of Larry Walls Sr. to find out the circumstances surrounding his demise. It was alleged that although the Walls family was close, it was highly dysfunctional, mainly due to Larry’s alleged abuse of Susan and their son, Larry Jr. At one point, Susan had allegedly asked her friends to take all the guns out of her house as she was afraid that Larry Jr. would end up shooting Larry.
Both Dawn and Susan were brought in for questioning, but denied having anything to do with the murder. The case was cracked wide open by Dawn’s ex-boyfriend, Joseph Williams, who provided the investigators with a shocking detail. He told the authorities that a few weeks prior to the murder, Susan had allegedly told him about hiring a few guys from Nashville to carry out the killing of her husband. The mother and daughter duo were questioned again, and this time they were confronted with Joseph’s claims. Susan alleged that Larry had been abusive towards her throughout the course of their marriage.
Meanwhile, Dawn also claimed that Larry had sexually abused her when she was younger. Ultimately, they admitted to hiring two of Dawn’s former coworkers — Jason Starrick and Sean Gearhardt — to get rid of Larry for $400. Following the confession, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation located the hired killers, Jason and Sean, in the neighborhood of Antioch in Nashville, Tennessee, and arrested them for the murder of Larry Walls. Susan and Dawn were also charged with one count of criminal responsibility for first-degree murder and conspiracy.
Where Are Susan Walls, Dawn Walls, Jason Starrick, and Sean Gearhardt Now?
Out of the four individuals responsible for the murder of Larry Walls Sr., Jason Starrick, Sean Gearhardt, and Dawn Walls pleaded guilty to the charges against them. While Jason was sentenced to 60 years in prison for first-degree murder, Sean received a 25-year imprisonment sentence for his involvement in the crime. As for Dawn, she was sentenced to 23 years with the possibility of parole after seven years. However, Susan Walls pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and stood trial, which began on May 5, 2014. On the fourth day of her trial, on May 8, she was rushed into the emergency room due to a health concern.
A few hours later, she returned to court, despite her attorney suggesting that the court be adjourned till the following day. After 7 pm, the jury deliberated for several hours and reached a verdict after midnight, around 1 am on May 9, 2014. Ultimately, she was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with Larry Walls Sr’s homicide. Subsequently, Susan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction and an additional concurrent 21 years for the conspiracy conviction. A couple of years later, in 2016, the Tennessee Court of Appeals overturned the verdict against Susan due to the delay during her trial. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court later overruled that decision and reinstated her guilty verdict.
In December 2020, Susan and her defense counsel filed a motion for a new trial, which was denied by a three-judge panel of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. 41-year-old Dawn Walls has been out on parole since June 2021, with her assigned parole and probation office in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As of today, 39-year-old Jason Starrick is serving his sentence at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, while 33-year-old Sean Gearhardt is behind bars at Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg, Tennessee, with his parole hearing date scheduled for October 2026. Meanwhile, 68-year-old Susan Walls is currently incarcerated at Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
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