A Black teenager who was convicted and executed for the murder of a White woman in Texas in the 1950s has been formally exonerated decades after his death, following a sweeping review that found his conviction was rooted in coercion, withheld evidence, and racial bias.
Tommy Lee Walker was 19 years old when he was arrested in 1953 and charged with the murder of Venice Parker, a store clerk who was sexually assaulted and stabbed while waiting for a bus after work in Dallas.
Parker, who suffered a severe throat wound, was taken to a hospital by a passerby after she flagged down a vehicle for help. She later died from her injuries. Investigators claimed that shortly before her death, she identified her attacker as a Black man, despite being unable to speak clearly due to her injuries.
Two witnesses later told police they had seen Walker in the area that night, though neither claimed to have witnessed the crime.
Walker maintained his innocence from the moment of his arrest and presented a strong alibi: he was at a hospital for the birth of his first and only child at the time of the attack. Ten witnesses, including medical staff and family members, testified to this at trial.
Despite the alibi, Walker was arrested four months after the killing following an investigation led by the city’s homicide bureau chief, who has since been linked by historians to white supremacist organizations.
Coerced Confession and Flawed Trial
After hours of interrogation, Walker signed two written statements admitting involvement in the crime. Investigators later acknowledged that he was threatened with execution and misled about nonexistent evidence during questioning.
The first statement contained significant factual errors, and Walker recanted the second confession almost immediately after signing it. He never admitted to sexually assaulting the victim.
Legal experts later concluded that the interrogation tactics used against Walker—combined with racial prejudice—created conditions that significantly increased the risk of a false confession.
At trial, prosecutors withheld evidence favorable to the defense, presented unverified claims as established fact, and even took the unusual step of testifying personally to assert Walker’s guilt. Walker was convicted and sentenced to death.
His appeal was denied, and in 1956, he was executed in the electric chair after being falsely assured that signing a confession would spare his life.
Exoneration After Decades
More than six decades later, a joint investigation by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit and civil rights legal organizations reexamined the case. The review found overwhelming evidence that Walker had been wrongfully convicted and executed.
On Jan. 21, Dallas County officials formally approved a resolution exonerating Walker, acknowledging that his conviction resulted from systemic misconduct and racial injustice.
Family Reaction
The ruling brought long-awaited validation to Walker’s surviving family members, including his son, Edward Smith, who never met his father.
“It was hard growing up without a father,” Smith said. “Other kids talked about their dads, and I had nothing to say. This doesn’t bring him back, but now the world knows what we always knew—that he was innocent. That brings some peace.”
Officials said the case underscores the long-lasting consequences of racial bias in the criminal justice system and serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding due process and accountability in capital cases.