Detective testifies about challenge speaking to witnesses in murder case (2024)

CROWN POINT — A Gary police homicide detective testified Thursday that investigators were unable to locate certain witnesses that could potentially further implicate a man in a 2023 murder in the city's Tolleston neighborhood.

Detective James Nielsen said he tried numerous times to contact witnesses who could corroborate evidence that 24-year-old Virgil King shot and killed Daqwuan Walker, 23, Jan. 26, 2023 on the front porch of an address on the 500 block of Chase Street.

During questioning from Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce, Nielsen said was unable to get enough detail about one of the witnesses and another possible witness never responded to his multiple inquiries. A third witness, who previously testified at King's bail hearing in the fall, failed to show up to testify at trial despite multiple attempts to serve her a subpoena.

The first witness detectives tried to locate was a woman who had been with Walker on the morning of his homicide. Walker and the woman had left his home around 6 a.m. to go to a nearby gas station, Walker's mother Zsakenja Mathews said in court Tuesday.

Mathews said she thought she heard her son arrive home some time later, but then heard multiple gunshots come from outside the house. She ran out to see her son laying on the front porch.

Video evidence from home surveillance cameras near the scene show two men wearing dark clothing running from the scene after the shots were fired. A third person with female characteristics wearing baggy clothing was seen running away, but detectives were never able to see her face on the video, nor did Mathews know who the woman was.

Detectives collected Walker's phone and extracted data to see if there were any communications with this woman. They found none, Nielsen said. The most recent number Walker had called was not in service when they tried to call it. Walker's social media had no clues as to her identity, either.

King's public defender Adam Tavitas inquired as to whether or not this woman could have been involved.

"You have no idea what involvement, if any, she had in Mr. Walker's death?" Tavitas asked.

"No, I don't," Nielsen said. "I've never been able to talk to her."

The vehicle owned by a potential second witness appeared in the video surveillance showed to jurors. The vehicle's tail lights lit up in the footage close to the time of the homicide and investigators were able to figure out who the person was. However, this person never answered the door when Nielsen went knocking and never called after Nielsen left his business card at the neighbor's door.

After a question from a juror, Nielsen explained he as a detective has no power to force anyone to speak with him about a crime.

The third witness, Tiyana Lee, did speak to detectives after the killing but failed to respond to multiple subpoena requests for trial testimony. King's co-defendant Micah Sanders, 25, supposedly asked her for a ride the morning of the homicide. She picked the men up and dropped them at a location near the scene of the crime, according to information in a probable-cause affidavit.

Sanders was supposed to stand trial with King this week, but filed a guilty plea last week.

After the homicide, a Gary police K-9 tracked the suspects' scents to a location on the 2500 block of Waverly Drive, where King and Sanders supposedly went to hide and dump clothing and weapons after the killing. Lee lived at this residence, the affidavit shows, and asked her family members if they could let the two men in until she could pick them up.

Nielsen said the prosecutor's office made multiple attempts to serve subpoenas to residences she was known to frequent without success. They even spoke to her family members, who were not able to offer information as to where she was.

Prosecutors instead read testimony she gave at a bail hearing last year.

Walker's mother described her son as "a friendly, helpful, happy person" who was a father of four children and was her "best friend."

She said she can't understand why anyone would want to kill him.

"He never bothered anybody," Mathews said.

The state rested their case Thursday evening. The defense will have the opportunity to present evidence Friday morning before the case closes and jurors begin deliberations.