An Oklahoma man, Lucas Anthony Walker, 22, was handed a 35-year federal prison sentence after confessing to the shocking murders of Deborah and Larry Dutton, his girlfriend’s grandparents. This chilling crime took place in Dewey, a small town about 50 miles north of Tulsa, on December 19, 2022.
The story took a grim turn when the couple’s bodies were discovered in their backyard a month later. Local authorities uncovered the horrifying truth through Ring doorbell footage, which revealed Walker and his then-girlfriend, 17-year-old Heidi Dutton, dragging the bodies to bury them behind the house.
The details of the case are as disturbing as they come. According to court documents, Heidi, who was adopted by Deborah and Larry, admitted to the police that she asked Walker to kill her grandparents because “she wanted them dead.” She initially claimed that she carried out the murders herself with Walker’s help in cleaning up but later changed her story, saying Walker committed the killings.
Walker confessed to the gruesome acts—shooting and stabbing Deborah and stabbing Larry to death. Authorities also reported that after the murders, the pair spent the grandparents’ money before they were arrested.
Deborah and Larry were much-loved members of their community. Larry was a retired Master Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and had once managed the Lt. William M. Milliken Airport in Eureka, Kansas. Deborah, also a retired Staff Sergeant in the Air Force, had roots in Tennessee and was a former chef. The couple had a history of active involvement in their church, Eureka United Methodist, in Kansas. Their former congregation was heartbroken and in disbelief over the tragic events. Reverend Linda Pope shared the community’s sorrow, saying, “They’re shaken. They’re visibly shaken. How do we make sense of all of this?”
The couple’s legacy as kind and dedicated individuals makes this crime even more heartbreaking.
As for Heidi, her plea and sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 5. The case leaves many unanswered questions, but one thing is certain: the community of Dewey will take a long time to recover from this unimaginable tragedy.
