A Nevada father has been sentenced to serve between 10 and 25 years in prison for killing his 3-year-old daughter, while her mother received probation after both parents pleaded guilty to charges related to the girl's death that prosecutors say was hidden from authorities for nearly a decade.
Background
Zaela Walker was reported missing in 2018. Her parents, Ricky Beasley and Lakeia Walker of Las Vegas, initially insisted she was in the care of relatives, according to court records. The case remained unsolved until investigators received information from Beasley's own mother — Zaela's grandmother — who came forward with details about what happened that day.
The grandmother told police she last saw Zaela with Beasley after he became enraged at the youngster for wetting herself. She reported hearing a loud thud and then seeing Beasley clutching Zaela in his arms as the child was crying, KTNV reported. Investigators later learned Beasley had thrown the little girl against a wall before her death.
Police said Beasley searched Google for "how to stop seizures in young children" following the incident, according to court documents.
The Investigation
As investigators pursued leads, interviews with Lakeia Walker raised further concerns about what happened to Zaela. She failed a lie detector test and made statements to detectives indicating the child was no longer alive, prosecutors said.
Court documents obtained by KTNV state that Walker told police "the trunk of a vehicle reeked, like rotten meat" while it was in Beasley's possession. Prosecutors alleged Walker helped Beasley clean out the trunk after he "took" Zaela from her for seven days and held her for ransom — though no ransom was ever paid.
Investigators learned that Beasley and Walker vacuumed the trunk and used lemon-scented ammonia in an attempt to eliminate the odor. A detective told a grand jury in 2019 that Walker was recorded on jail phone calls with Beasley — who had been arrested first — saying, "You always say no body, no crime."
Police believed Zaela ultimately died from trauma or a health-related injury caused by her parents.
Sentencing
Both defendants pleaded guilty in May to charges stemming from Zaela's death. Beasley pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, while Walker pleaded guilty to accessory to commit murder.
Beasley was sentenced Thursday in Clark County District Court to serve between 10 and 25 years in prison, with credit for more than seven and a half years he had already spent in jail awaiting trial.
Walker received probation with a suspended sentence of two to five years that will be imposed if she violates the terms of her supervised release. Her conditions include having no contact with Beasley.
Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo addressed the court at sentencing, stating there was "no doubt that this child suffered for hours without medical treatment."
"These two sociopaths deserve the ultimate possible punishment," DiGiacomo told the court. "I just didn't have that evidence. I had evidence that certainly Mr. Beasley was guilty of murder and certainly Ms. Walker was guilty of accessory after the fact, but their conduct suggests that they should do every possible day in prison."
Key Takeaways
- Zaela Walker disappeared in 2018 at age 3; her body has never been found despite an extensive investigation
- Beasley reportedly threw his daughter against a wall after she wet herself, causing injuries that led to her death
- Both parents cleaned the trunk of a vehicle described as smelling like "rotten meat" using vacuuming and lemon-scented ammonia
- Beasley received 10 to 25 years in prison with credit for time served; Walker was granted probation
- Prosecutors said they lacked sufficient evidence to pursue the harshest possible charges despite believing both defendants deserved maximum punishment
What's Next
Zaela Walker's body has not been recovered, and authorities have not disclosed where they believe her remains may be located. The investigation into exactly what happened to the child continues as prosecutors work with limited physical evidence in the case.