Life without parole

Uloma Curry-Walker Sentenced to Life Without Possibility of Parole for the Murder-for-Hire of Beloved Cleveland Firefighter

CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that Uloma Curry-Walker was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder of her husband Lt. William “Will” Walker.

Lt. Walker, a Cleveland Firefighter, was murdered in the driveway of his home on Lampson Drive in Cleveland on the evening of November 3, 2013.

Curry-Walker, then 42, enlisted the help of her 17-year-old daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, Chad Padgett, 20, to hire a hitman to shoot her husband. She was motivated by collecting his insurance policy. They, in turn, enlisted Padgett’s cousin Christopher Hein, 20, and associate Ryan Dorty, 24, to carry out the plot.

Lt. Walker was set-up by his wife on November 3, 2013. At her request, he left their residence to pick up food. While he was gone, she coordinated the ambush through text messages between the co-defendants.

Prosecutors were able to prove Lt. Walker was close to learning that Curry-Walker acquired massive debt and faked Stage 4 breast cancer.

In 2016, Padgett pled guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter with Conspiracy and was sentenced to 28 years; Dorty pled guilty to Aggravated Murder and was sentenced to 23 years to life. Curry-Walker’s daughter was sentenced in juvenile court. Last month, Hein pled to Aggravated Murder and Conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 years.

After a 10-day trial, a Cuyahoga County Jury found Curry-Walker guilty of Aggravated Murder, Conspiracy, Murder, and Felonious Assault. Today, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

At the sentencing today, five of Lt. Walker’s family members, as well as Cleveland Fire Chief Angelo Cavillo and a fellow firefighter, spoke to the court about his dedication to public service and his family.

“Lt. Walker was a proud and distinguished member of the Cleveland Fire Department,” said Prosecutor O’Malley. “Uloma Curry-Walker is a cold-hearted murderer and it is fitting she spend the rest of her life behind bars.”