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Walker's Attorney Says Woman is Mentally Ill
Aired August 01, 2003 - 15:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now next to middle America. Bond is set at $100,000 for Donna Walker. And a judge in Kansas has refused to lower it. Walker is the woman accused of perpetrating a hoax on a family in Indiana. CNN's Jeff Flock covers today's hearing in Topeka -- Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, you know when some people heard that story of somebody playing a hoax on this family in Indiana, pretending to be their long-lost story, some people said that person had to be crazy. And essentially that's what the attorney for Donna Walker asserted today.
Let's go to the videotape of Ms. Walker's appearance in the Shawnee County, Kansas courthouse behind me. She appeared, and as you report, the bond was set at $100,000. But, of course, that means she only needs to come up with $10,000 of it in order to get out.
But she has apparently, according to her attorney, been existing on disability, mental disability. And consequently she does not likely have that money and won't be able to come up with it, although he didn't rule that completely out.
Now, the attorney, William Rork, arguing on behalf of his client said essentially today, what she did, if in fact it can be proved that she did it, was a terrible thing. But whether or not it goes to the level of criminality or not, he's not sure. Let's listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM RORK, WALKER'S ATTORNEY: Honestly, the main conversation has been why am I charged, why am I being held? What have I done that was wrong?
I haven't gone into the facts. I hope to have an affidavit, that the judge sealed, which means the media can't have, so I can now show her, here are some of the things the court of law says you're doing, not people from all over reporting from all over different areas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: The attorney there saying, you know, I think he's saying that he thinks he'll be able to prove at some point that what she did may have been caused by her mental illness and not by any criminal intent. We'll see.
She's due back in court, Kyra, I believe it is next Wednesday. I may have said Tuesday earlier. It's next Wednesday. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Next Wednesday.
Well, Jeff, let me ask you, there's a history here, right? We talked about it earlier the day. Also police coming forward that this has happened maybe five or six other times.
FLOCK: Exactly. Five or six other times in separate jurisdictions across the country. Literally from coast to coast, from California to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and various stops in between, she has been accused of and at times charged with making false statements to police, reporting crimes that didn't take place.
She is reported to have a multiple personality disorder. And it's even possible she may have thought that she was Shannon Sherrill, that little girl whose family she wound up hoaxing. I guess we'll see.
PHILLIPS: Our Jeff Flock, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 1, 2003 - 15:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now next to middle America. Bond is set at $100,000 for Donna Walker. And a judge in Kansas has refused to lower it. Walker is the woman accused of perpetrating a hoax on a family in Indiana. CNN's Jeff Flock covers today's hearing in Topeka -- Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, you know when some people heard that story of somebody playing a hoax on this family in Indiana, pretending to be their long-lost story, some people said that person had to be crazy. And essentially that's what the attorney for Donna Walker asserted today.
Let's go to the videotape of Ms. Walker's appearance in the Shawnee County, Kansas courthouse behind me. She appeared, and as you report, the bond was set at $100,000. But, of course, that means she only needs to come up with $10,000 of it in order to get out.
But she has apparently, according to her attorney, been existing on disability, mental disability. And consequently she does not likely have that money and won't be able to come up with it, although he didn't rule that completely out.
Now, the attorney, William Rork, arguing on behalf of his client said essentially today, what she did, if in fact it can be proved that she did it, was a terrible thing. But whether or not it goes to the level of criminality or not, he's not sure. Let's listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM RORK, WALKER'S ATTORNEY: Honestly, the main conversation has been why am I charged, why am I being held? What have I done that was wrong?
I haven't gone into the facts. I hope to have an affidavit, that the judge sealed, which means the media can't have, so I can now show her, here are some of the things the court of law says you're doing, not people from all over reporting from all over different areas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: The attorney there saying, you know, I think he's saying that he thinks he'll be able to prove at some point that what she did may have been caused by her mental illness and not by any criminal intent. We'll see.
She's due back in court, Kyra, I believe it is next Wednesday. I may have said Tuesday earlier. It's next Wednesday. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Next Wednesday.
Well, Jeff, let me ask you, there's a history here, right? We talked about it earlier the day. Also police coming forward that this has happened maybe five or six other times.
FLOCK: Exactly. Five or six other times in separate jurisdictions across the country. Literally from coast to coast, from California to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and various stops in between, she has been accused of and at times charged with making false statements to police, reporting crimes that didn't take place.
She is reported to have a multiple personality disorder. And it's even possible she may have thought that she was Shannon Sherrill, that little girl whose family she wound up hoaxing. I guess we'll see.
PHILLIPS: Our Jeff Flock, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
