Self-defence argued in killing of daughter's boyfriend

[Treblehook]

I just read the item about Mr. Walker who shot and killed his daughter's boyfriend.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... 10519.html

Anyone who has ever experienced a situation similar to that experienced by Mr. Walker should be able to empathize with his situation and his frustration. What is he to do? Nothing and watch his young daughter die while abusing drugs being supplied by her boyfriend? Or does he go to the guys house and try to intervene and get his daughter out of the place? Walker knew he was going to be confronting a man much younger than himself; larger than himself and in much better physical condition. It is quite possible that Walker knew there was a very real possibility that the boyfriend might attack him and cause him grievious bodily harm. Hayward was a convicted drug dealer!!! Should Walker have contacted the police and asked them to go and get his daughter? The prosecutor said she was in the house voluntarily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suspect the police would have done little or nothing in this situation to assist Walker in getting his daughter out of the house. It is not hard to have sympathy for Mr. Walker in this case. If our justice system was working properly in this country, it would be easy for a parent to get a restraining order against a drug dealer in this situation and if violated by the adult drug dealer, he would be summarily thrown in jail where he couldn't have any contact or influence over the minor child. I certainly have no sympathy whatsoever for the dead drug dealer. The world is better off without the scumbag.

[fvkasm2x]

Sucks to be a parent in that situation, but he was wrong. I'd vote guilty, even though I feel sorry for him.

[Woodenhead]

I cannot support vigilante justice. Which this is.

I don't feel bad for the dealer though.

[Treblehook]

I wasn't suggesting that he was right to do what he did.... merely noting that his actions were not too hard to understand. If the court accepts that he took the gun with him because he was afraid of being attacked by the drug dealer rather than the premeditated intent to kill the scumbag, then he might get convicted of manslaughter. It is a shame that our justice system is not able to protect our kids from this kind of harm. The way I see it is if an adult decides to use drugs, so be it; but it is an entirely different thing when a child is provided drugs, whether they say they want them or otherwise. Our justice system's response to trafficking to kids is totally inadequate.

[Woodenhead]

Yeah, for sure.

Thing is, if he was scared of being attacked, he should have chosen another avenue. Something tells me he went there with the intent of shooting him.

[Treblehook]

Yeah, for sure.

Thing is, if he was scared of being attacked, he should have chosen another avenue. Something tells me he went there with the intent of shooting him.

Could be you are right, in which case he will likely get what's coming to him in terms of a sentence. On the other hand, it could be that he went there to try to get his daughter [who was only 16] out of a situation that he believed was life threatening. If this was the case, he must clearly have understood that taking the gun along might well result in the dealer getting shot and killed. That being the case, his desperation to save his child led to bad judgement.

If I read the story correctly, it appears as though the daughter ended up testifying at the trial against her father. What a sad story. These drugs and drug dealers are a scourge on our society.

[FreeRights]

I just read the item about Mr. Walker who shot and killed his daughter's boyfriend.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... 10519.html

Anyone who has ever experienced a situation similar to that experienced by Mr. Walker should be able to empathize with his situation and his frustration. What is he to do? Nothing and watch his young daughter die while abusing drugs being supplied by her boyfriend? Or does he go to the guys house and try to intervene and get his daughter out of the place? Walker knew he was going to be confronting a man much younger than himself; larger than himself and in much better physical condition. It is quite possible that Walker knew there was a very real possibility that the boyfriend might attack him and cause him grievious bodily harm. Hayward was a convicted drug dealer!!! Should Walker have contacted the police and asked them to go and get his daughter? The prosecutor said she was in the house voluntarily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suspect the police would have done little or nothing in this situation to assist Walker in getting his daughter out of the house. It is not hard to have sympathy for Mr. Walker in this case. If our justice system was working properly in this country, it would be easy for a parent to get a restraining order against a drug dealer in this situation and if violated by the adult drug dealer, he would be summarily thrown in jail where he couldn't have any contact or influence over the minor child. I certainly have no sympathy whatsoever for the dead drug dealer. The world is better off without the scumbag.

Now, I may be blind or I'm not reading the proper article, but I don't see anything that suggests Hayward was a drug dealer, or that he was supplying Walker's daughter with drugs. I'm not saying that isn't the case, but I'm asking for sources as to where it says that.

I think the problem is this. Everything here could have been avoided had Walker responded in a different way. Again, I haven't followed the story, but why did he have to go there that night? Why couldn't he discuss it with his daughter and, you know, be a parent?

And yes, he likely took a firearm because he felt he would be at risk. So he went there aware that he might be killing someone. HOWEVER, I think second degree murder is too harsh - it should be manslaughter, based on the events that unfolded. And finally, with that said, we also don't know whether Walker's side of the story is accurate.

[Amarow121]

FreeRights,

It was mentioned in earlier news stories http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=3e1af012-94ff-49a4-8f9d-56c38e6fcacb that Mr.Walker's daughter had moved out of her families home to live at her boyfriend's house where she was doing morphine supplied by him.
If I remember correctly from reading a Globe and Mail article directly after the incident occurred, Mr. Walker had already gone to the police at least once to see if they would remove his daughter, bring her home. They would not, can't remember why... guessing it has to do with age?

I have a hard time with this one.
I dislike that that family of Mr.Hayward (the man killed) is upset because he didn't get a chance to be "rescued" from his addiction... I just want to ask them "Where were you? Did you do anything to try to get him out? Or did you just give up on him until his lifestyle got him killed? Then you coming rushing back into town, crying about how sad it is that he's been struck down in his prime..."
I dislike that the Mr.Walker couldn't get anyone to help him. And yet, I can understand why a 16 year old might need to be able to live outside her home and not be brought back by the law. (abuse, bad home, neglect)
I dislike that Mr.Walker decided to confront Mr. Hayward at his home.

The only better thing I can think of (and it would still lead to charges) is to kidnap his own daughter when she left the house and try to forcibly detox her at his home or admit her to some sort of detox center. Which leads to many what-ifs:
What if Hayward comes to their home and tries to take her?
What if she runs away again to Haywards home?

All *bleep* options. Some don't involve directly killing someone, which is slightly better, but the whole situation stinks.

[Treblehook]

FreeRights.... perhaps this article will help regarding Hayward being a drug dealer, etc.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/200701 ... al_070117/

[MJC83]

Any drug dealer who was giving my daughter or son drugs (when I have kids one day) I'd have no problem killing. Same as if it was my sister. There are shades of grey in between "right and wrong" and this is definitely one of them. Anyone who'd vote guilty in this situation is sick!

[Treblehook]

Any drug dealer who was giving my daughter or son drugs (when I have kids one day) I'd have no problem killing. Same as if it was my sister. There are shades of grey in between "right and wrong" and this is definitely one of them. Anyone who'd vote guilty in this situation is sick!

"Until you walk a mile in a man's shoes....." . Your's is the sentiment that I was thinking of when I started this post. How does one stand by while some adult, scumbag drug dealer influences and supplies illegal drugs to your 15 or 16 year old daughter? Until you see first hand the havoc these drugs cause on young lives, I don't think it is possible to understand this man's reaction. Watching a daughter you love deteriorate physically, emotionally, mentally and morally is not an easy thing to do. The reality is she is at great risk of ending up on the streets [as a drug addicted *bleep*] and/or dying from a drug overdose. Which is more difficult to understand; this man's actions to save/protect his daughter or the actions of Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan man who killed his daughter out of compassion for her suffering? I think people who see things as either [i]black or white[i] haven't really ever seen things at all.

Another thought: When the father arrives at the house, the scumbag drug dealer says: "You know you are right. Your daughter is only 16 years old and this is not really a good place for her to be and she shouldn't be using these drugs and I won't provide them to her any longer. Take her home where she is safe." The father probably wouldn't be on trial for murder today.

[Queen K]

That drug dealer would have started to sell her to his buddies to help to pay for her share of the drugs.

Happens every day.

She would have owed and done it for him and her habit.

[Treblehook]

A lot of people understand the jeopardy this man's daughter was in. Serious business when when you are an adult and you take someone's daughter during those tender years and expose them to those dangers.

[MJC83]

As far as I'm concerned, family trumps the law and I'd break every law there is if it meant protecting a family member or getting justice for a family member killed, raped, kidnapped etc. Like the Elizabeth Smart kidnapper. There's no way if that was my daughter that he'd be standing trial right now. He'd be dead.

[cutter7]

Any drug dealer who was giving my daughter or son drugs (when I have kids one day) I'd have no problem killing. Same as if it was my sister. There are shades of grey in between "right and wrong" and this is definitely one of them. Anyone who'd vote guilty in this situation is sick!

what will you do when that drug addicted kid of yours becomes a rat to the police? Police love keeping addicts supplied with either drugs or money in order to keep the vicious circle going.