Man that confessed to shooting parents cleared to stand trial

Sensational headlines appeared March 5, 2019 after police responded to a residence in Edmond, Oklahoma at about 2:30 am to a call placed by a younger brother saying his elder brother had shot their parents.

The elder brother, 19-year-old Michael Elijah Walker told not only his brother but also police that he shot his parents because "they were sending him messages telepathically and they were Satan worshipers," allegedly adding that "everything was okay, and he would bury the bodies."

The younger brother stated that it wasn't uncommon to see Michael walking through the house carrying a pistol because "he is paranoid."

But when he awoke out of a sound sleep to the hear of gunshots and his mother screaming, he knew something was wrong.  He closed the door to his bedroom and called 911.  When he reportedly opened the door again, he saw his mother lying near the front door, his father laying in his brother's bedroom and his brother walking down the hall with the pistol.

When police arrived, they were able to get the younger brother out of the house safely, and shortly thereafter Michael was taken into custody without incident.

Inside the home, Rachel Walker, 44, and Michael Walker, 50, were found shot multiple times with a total of 19 spent 9mm casings throughout the house.

During an interview with police, Michael is said to have told them that the situation started when he "asked them a question about Satanism."

Michael was booked on two counts of first-degree murder, and by the end of June, he was determined to be not competent to stand trial.

Derek Chance, Michael's attorney told News 4 shortly after the arrest that "The family reports Eli has suffered from severe mental illness for several years. I have had an initial assessment done on Eli, and it clearly indicates he is acutely paranoid and delusional. This, we believe, explains the horrible tragedy this family has suffered."

On June 19th, he was sent to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for care and treatment.  In December, a Judge ruled that he was competent to stand trial.

Last Friday, in a preliminary hearing, Judge Kathryn Savage determined probable cause for Michael to stand trial not only for the two counts of murder, but also for another charge of possession of explosives which were said to have been found in the gun safe in his room.

According to The Oklahoman, Ashten West, sister of Michael, is hoping that the judge will see fit to dismiss the charges against her brother as she says that he could not control his actions.

"We are here in support of my brother because of why he killed our parents," she said. "He is mentally ill. My brother is inflicted with schizophrenia. He has been suffering for years."

"It is our hope that as further evaluations are undertaken, the district attorney's office will take that information into consideration and stop their efforts to punish my brother for an act that he was not in control of."

His next court date is scheduled for April 2, 2020.