A Florida man accused of shooting and killing his wife in mysterious circumstances just as their family was preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday will face trial next week.
Darryl Walker, 38, is accused of second-degree murder and felony possession of a deadly weapon.
Sheena Marie Levine, 35, died early on November 22, 2023, in the couple’s home at the Aqua Porta apartment complex on Meadson Road in Pensacola.
And, at least publicly, no one knows why.
According to an arrest report obtained by the Pensacola News Journal and Pensacola-based ABC affiliate WEAR, the defendant called his daughter in a panic that fateful day.
Walker allegedly told his daughter he “f-ed up” during that 5 a.m. phone call and repeatedly claimed “she grabbed the gun,” according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The daughter inquired about her mother’s well-being, but she allegedly refused to respond and instead became quiet, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime. The daughter then woke up her younger brother, telling him they needed to get to their mother’s house.
Following the urgent and disturbing call, the man’s daughter and son dashed over to their parents’ apartment. They banged on the door until their father let them in to find out the worst, according to deputies.
“(The daughter) stated that once inside, she asked where Levine was and then she observed Levine laying on her side by the bathroom door covered in blood,” said the arrest report. (She) stated that Walker approached Levine, stood over her, and then reached down to hug her.”
According to law enforcement, Levine did not have a pulse when they arrived. Walker, for his part, was discovered covered in blood.
“[The daughter] asked [Walker] why he didn’t call 9-1-1 to which he gave her a weird stare and did not respond,” according to deputies.
The alleged killer then went to retrieve the gun from near his wife’s body before fleeing, according to the daughter. Before the defendant left, he allegedly said, “Baby, I gotta go. “I can’t return to jail.”
The man’s daughter told investigators that she discovered a single shell casing in the bathroom before calling 911. Levine was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime when first responders arrived.
A multi-agency manhunt commenced.
Walker was arrested two days later in Panama City, a small city located about 140 miles east of Pensacola. He was eventually extradited back.
Walker was released from prison in May 2022, having served four years for child neglect and weapons charges. Prior to that, he served a year in prison for aggravated battery on a pregnant woman.
On August 25, jury selection in his murder trial begins.
