Inset: Dustin J. Walker (Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The residence where Walker’s 11-year-old stepdaughter gave birth in 2025 (KJRH).
An Oklahoma man has been sentenced to a life term in prison after subjecting his 11-year-old stepdaughter to give birth at home without any medical assistance.
Dustin Joel Walker, aged 35, was handed a life sentence along with an additional 42 years this past Monday, according to court documentation. Muskogee County District Judge Timothy King mandated that Walker complete the 42-year sentence—stemming from six counts of child neglect—before commencing the life sentence for sexually abusing a child under 12 years old.
Should Walker ever be granted parole, he will face a three-year period of supervised release. Furthermore, he is required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from contacting the victims.
Previously reported by Law&Crime, Walker confessed in March to all seven charges against him. He entered what is known as a “blind plea,” meaning there was no prearranged deal with prosecutors, leaving his sentencing completely at the judge’s discretion.
The categories of crimes to which he pleaded also require that Walker complete at least 85% of his prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson said DNA testing showed a “99% certainty” that Walker is the infant’s father and expressed hope that the plea would lead to significant prison time, according to a report from Tulsa NBC affiliate KJRH. The victim’s biological mother, Cherie Walker, and her maternal grandmother, Michelle Justus, have also been arrested and face charges in connection with the alleged abuse the child endured.
Authorities say the child gave birth to a full-term baby inside the home without ever receiving prenatal care or seeing a doctor during the pregnancy. Investigators allege Walker repeatedly abused the child, resulting in the pregnancy, while the adults in the home failed to provide basic care, supervision, or medical attention. Court records indicated the girl had not seen a doctor in more than a year prior to giving birth.
In an interview with Tulsa-based CBS affiliate KOTV, Hutson described the victim as “rather petite,” noting the newborn was a normal-sized infant, while also pushing back on claims from the adults that they were unaware of the pregnancy.
“This child is traumatized. She’s been through a horrific ordeal,” the prosecutor said. “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.”
Hutson also indicated the victim had been pulled out of school, which limited opportunities for teachers or medical professionals to spot the abuse and intervene.
“The child had been out of school for a period of time, and it is my understanding that children may have been homeschooled,” Hutson said.
Cherie Walker and Michelle Justus have both denied knowing the child was pregnant.
“I just want people to know, we did not know this was happening. None of us,” Justus previously told Tulsa NBC affiliate KJRH. “They’ve made my daughter and my son-in-law a monster. They are not. They love those children. They love them.”
Justus also previously accused a 12-year-old neighborhood boy of impregnating her grandchild.
Cherie Walker is set to go on trial on July 13.