Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle
Walker, 27, of Marysville, is accused of spending much of a night in June shooting at cars, houses, and a group of teenage girls that included Molly, who was a freshman attending Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle.
The girl was celebrating her 15th birthday with friends when she was fatally shot while walking back from a Lake Stevens park.
Prosecutors allege that Conley’s killing was part of a violent spree that “exhibited extreme indifference to human life.” They’ve charged Walker with first-degree murder and four counts of drive-by shooting.
Walker allegedly is linked to the violence by bullet fragments recovered at some of the shooting scenes and paint chips left after the shooter’s vehicle clipped a parked car.
Walker’s trial is scheduled for January. If convicted, the aerospace worker could face decades in prison.
Conley’s killing and the other shootings were investigated by a team of detectives and crime scene experts from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Marysville, Lake Stevens and the Washington State Patrol.
The prosecution’s witness list includes Wellington and at least nine other Lake Stevens officers.
Under case law, prosecutors are required to provide the defense with information regarding any problems with the credibility of police officer witnesses.
Wellington’s work problems were severe enough that the city considered firing him, but he instead was allowed to remain on the force under a last-change agreement with the city. It remains in effect, Berg said Thursday.
Records obtained by The Herald earlier this year showed the police officers guild dropped a labor grievance as part of that agreement.
The department remains without a police chief. City staff have conducted several rounds of seeking applications and recruiting but none of the candidates panned out, some failing to meet basic requirements.
The most recent search ended without success within the past few weeks, Berg said.
“The mayor is going to take the next couple of months to look at options before he decides the next steps,” she said.
After the previous chief left, the department was hit with a series of high-profile officer discipline issues. In August, Berg and police Cmdr. Dan Lorentzen, who has served as interim chief, announced they were adopting new policies and creating a new Division of Professional Standards.
The changes made over the past couple of months are working, Berg said. The current internal investigation is part of that, she said.