FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Erin Maloney, Communications Director
Office of the State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit
(813) 557-3366 | [email protected]
TAMPA, FL (June 24, 2025) — A jury found 47-year-old Ronny Walker guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl. Because the State Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty, the trial has now entered the penalty phase, where the same jury will decide Walker’s sentence.
Assistant State Attorneys John Terry and Chinwe Fossett presented evidence showing that Walker drove the victim to a dead-end street in Tampa Heights, where he turned off the headlights of the vehicle before committing the murder. The victim’s cell phone remained in Walker’s car after he drove off, allowing investigators to piece together his whereabouts during and after the murder. Investigators testified that the victim’s blood was found inside the vehicle mixed with Walker’s DNA.
Jurors also heard testimony from Robert Quincey Creed, who was inside the vehicle with Walker and the victim when the crime occurred. Creed said he did not tell police about the murder because he was afraid that Walker would kill him as well. He has since pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.
“The victim in this case should be getting ready to graduate high school. Instead, her life was stolen because of the senseless and heinous acts of Ronny Walker. Thanks to the dedicated work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, we were able to deliver justice to her mother. We hope this verdict brings a measure of comfort to her family,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
The penalty phase is now underway. The jury will weigh aggravating and mitigating factors to determine whether Walker should be sentenced to life in prison or death. This is the first capital case in Hillsborough County to proceed under a new state law enacted in 2023, which allows a jury to recommend a death sentence if at least 8 out of 12 jurors agree. Previously, a death recommendation required a unanimous decision. The penalty phase begins this Thursday, June 26.