Murder suspect convicted in battery of girlfriend

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998 | 10:28 a.m.

Although a 17-year-old Las Vegas woman was unable to testify against her boyfriend because she had been murdered, Christian Walker was still convicted of battering her.

Prosecutors have said the Aug. 27 incident and Maureen McConaha's decision to seek a temporary protective order against him may have led to the slaying and that is why they chose to pursue the misdemeanor case.

Walker, 19, and his 18-year-old brother, Johnny Hughes Walker Jr., are charged with murder in McConaha's October execution-style slaying and Christian Walker's conviction Friday on the domestic battery charge is expected to be paraded before the jury at their trial.

Court documents alleged that Christian Walker became angry after McConaha found some phone numbers of other women at his residence and decided to leave.

McConaha stated in the documents that her boyfriend "head butted me three times and wouldn't let me leave.

"His sister got me out but then he followed me to the truck, locked us in and slapped me," McConaha wrote. "He told me if I was (to tell) the police he would do worse."

The day before the incident, the McConaha said Christian Walker also hit her and in July "he was destroying my room and breaking glass on his head and eating the glass."

Although Deputy District Attorney Erin Ehlert called the victim's mother to testify about the stormy relationship, defense attorney John Fadgen argued that Walker should not be convicted because the victim was not present to be cross examined.

Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou said the "right of confrontation was waived when the defendant procured the absence of the victim."

In the end, Pro Temp Justice of the Peace Torris Brand accepted the mother's statement and convicted Walker of the misdemeanor charge. He sentenced the teenager to 120 days in jail, although Walker and his brother are already in jail awaiting trial in the murder case and also an unrelated attempted murder case.

McConaha's body was found Oct. 4 in a desert area near U.S. 95 and Tropicana Avenue. She had been shot repeatedly in the head at point blank range.

Metro Police detectives have said that under her body they found a cigarette butt and DNA from the saliva on it matched Christian Walker's DNA.