While killing your spouse for an insurance payout is never a wise – or legal – decision, a story about a newlywed from Cleveland has an extra thick layer of irony attached to it.
According to PEOPLE , a 45-year-old newlywed from Cleveland named Uloma Curry-Walker was convicted for planning the murder of her firefighter husband four years ago. Uloma Curry-Walker is believed to have made the decision to murder her husband four months into their marriage because she was deep in debt and wanted the insurance payout. Unfortunately for this Cleveland newlywed there was one ironic and fatal flaw in her plan – she was never entitled to the insurance money she killed her husband for.
The Murder Plan
Prosecutors revealed Uloma Curry-Walker offered Chad Padgett – who was her 17-year-old daughter’s boyfriend four years ago – ten percent of the insurance payout ($10,000) in exchange for killing William Walker (her husband).
The boyfriend agreed to help Uloma and initially reached out to Chris Hein – his cousin – for help. When his cousin backed out, he reached out to Ryan Dorty who agreed to help for just $800.
“He came in and testified that he did it for $800 without hesitation. He just seemed matter-of-fact about it. It was just a job.”
No Money Received: Defense Theories Emerged
While the prosecutors of the case firmly believe the husband’s life insurance money was the motivation behind the murder, the new bride was not actually entitled to receive the money. Apparently, Curry-Walker planned and murdered her new husband before giving him a chance to finalize switching over his policy which named his previous wife as the recipient of the payout.
Uloma Curry-Walker, 45, could receive life in prison without parole for the November 2013 slaying https://t.co/IAzqyQ8mVg
— The Morning Journal (@MorningJournal) July 8, 2017
Was she really a mastermind?
The defense attorney argued that the life insurance theory was “ludicrous.” The attorney proceeded to explain that it was contradicting for them to believe the new bride could be the mastermind behind the murder while not being smart enough to take the time to make sure she’d actually receive the insurance money if her new husband was killed. The defense attorney proceeded to insist that the Cleveland bride had no reason or motive to murder her husband.
Wife of slain Cleveland firefighter is convicted of murder-for-hire plot on anniversary date https://t.co/CyLOMIJxuw pic.twitter.com/Vl1TEXr7q1
— Cory Shaffer (@cory_shaffer) July 7, 2017
The defense attempted to argue that it was actually Curry-Walker’s daughter and her boyfriend who planned and executed the murder. There, however, was no evidence to back up this claim. The Cleveland Plain Dealer notes it was not until the guilty verdict was revealed that the Cleveland bride finally showed emotion for the very first time as tears streamed down her face.
Court docs: Uloma Walker-Curry, wife of #Cleveland firefighter William Walker, charged with his paid-for-hire murder pic.twitter.com/OfyqcpQ3ni
— Sara Goldenberg (@SaraGoldenberg) September 9, 2015
Walker was shot four times after entering his home. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died four years ago.
4 indicted for Aggravated Murder for roles in November 2013 slaying of Cleveland firefighter Lt. William Walker. pic.twitter.com/oUokbLnmHS
— Scott Taylor 7 News I-Team (@ScottTaylorTV) September 14, 2015
Do you think the life insurance payout she was never entitled to was the real reason why she planned the murder of her husband? Sound off in the comments down below.
[Featured Image by Fer Gregory/ShutterStock]
