Inset: Darryl Walker (Escambia County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The apartment complex where Walker allegedly shot and killed his wife in Pensacola, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida man accused of shooting and killing his wife under mysterious circumstances just as their family was getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday will go on trial next week.
Darryl Walker, 38, stands accused of one count each of murder in the second degree and being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.
On Nov. 22, 2023, Sheena Marie Levine, 35, died during the early morning hours in the couple’s residence at the Aqua Porta apartment complex on Meadson Road in Pensacola.
And, at least publicly, no one is quite sure why.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
The defendant called his daughter on that horrible day in a frantic state, according to an arrest report obtained by the Pensacola News Journal and Pensacola-based ABC affiliate WEAR.
During that 5 a.m. or so phone call, Walker allegedly told his daughter he “f–ed up” and repeatedly claimed “she grabbed the gun,” according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The daughter asked if her mother was okay, but her allegedly would not answer and instead became quiet, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime. The daughter then woke up her younger brother and told him they had to get to their mother’s home.
After that urgent and disturbing call, the man’s daughter and son rushed over to their parents’ apartment. They banged on the door until their father let them in to discover the worst, deputies say.
“(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,” the arrest reports reads. “(She) stated that Walker walked over to Levine, stood over her, and then he reached down to hug her.”
Levine did not have a pulse by the time the pair arrived, law enforcement claims. Walker, for his part, was also found 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,” deputies wrote.
Then the alleged killer went to retrieve the gun from near his wife’s body and made to leave, the daughter allegedly told investigators. Before the defendant’s departure, he allegedly said: “Baby, I gotta go. I can’t go back to jail.”
The man’s daughter told investigators she found a lone shell casing in the bathroom before calling 911. Levine was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime once first responders arrived.
A multi-agency manhunt ensued.
Two days later, Walker was arrested in Panama City – a small city located some 140 miles due east of Pensacola. He was then extradited back.
In May 2022, Walker was released from prison after serving four years for child neglect and weapons charges. Prior to that, he served a year behind bars for aggravated battery against a pregnant woman.
On Aug. 25, jury selection in his murder case begins.
