An Oklahoma mother who allowed her husband to sexually abuse her 11-year-old daughter—and then failed to obtain medical care when the child gave birth to his baby in their feces-filled home—has been sentenced to seven consecutive life terms.
Cherie Walker, 34, will spend the rest of her life in prison after being sentenced Friday on six counts of child neglect and one count of enabling sexual abuse. Her husband, Dustin Walker, was sentenced to life in prison in June.
The abuse came to light after Walker’s daughter gave birth without medical assistance at the family’s Muskogee County home in August of last year.
According to court documents reviewed by NBC News, the girl was the oldest of six children found “with no clothing” and lice in their hair while living in “deplorable conditions.” The other children were ages 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9.
The parents were initially charged with child neglect. Those charges were later upgraded after DNA testing showed, with 99.9% certainty, that Dustin Walker was the father of his 11-year-old stepdaughter’s baby.
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Both Walkers initially said they had not known the girl was pregnant. But a pediatrician testified that her pregnancy would have been impossible to overlook, KJRH reported.
Cherie Walker was convicted of allowing her husband to sexually abuse the child and denying her medical care despite knowing that she was pregnant.
“This child is traumatized,” Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson previously said.
“She’s been through a horrific ordeal. I mean, not only has somebody gotten her pregnant, but she gave birth at home without medical assistance, and this will be her life for the rest of her life.”
Dustin Walker pleaded guilty in March. He was sentenced to life in prison for the child sexual abuse charge, along with an additional 42 years for the child neglect charges.
