SerpApi.Org
An Oklahoma mom will likely spend the rest of her life in prison after her 11-year-old daughter was impregnated by the woman’s husband.
Cherie Walker was found guilty on July 17 of one count of enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of child neglect, according to Muskogee County court records reviewed by Oxygen.com. A jury has recommended a life sentence for each count.
Meanwhile, her husband Dustin Walker was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a child under 12 and six counts of child neglect, according to court records.
Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson called the case, "one of the most, if not the most, serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted.”
The investigation began after the Muskogee Police Department received a call that an 11-year-old girl had given birth at home before she was taken to a hospital, according to NBC News.
Cherie and Dustin, the child’s stepfather, had initially claimed they did not know she was pregnant, the outlet reported, and she had not been to the doctor in over a year.
“It is horrific,” Hutson said at the time, according to KFOR. “I mean, the 11-year-old child was obviously raped. She cannot give consent by whomever this person is.”
Shortly after their arrest, the duo’s five other children—ages 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9—were removed from the home, which NBC News, citing court documents, described as “deplorable” and filled with dog feces.
DNA testing revealed that Dustin was the baby’s father with 99.9 percent certainty, according to the outlet, prompting prosecutors to amend the charges.
“This child is traumatized,” Hutson previously told News on 6. “She’s been through a horrific ordeal. 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.”
Meanwhile, Cherie’s mother Michelle Justus has defended her family.
"They've made my daughter and my son-in-law a monster," she told News 2 at the time. "They are not. They love those children. They love them."
Ultimately, Michelle, who lived across the street and saw her grandchild regularly, was also charged with six counts of child neglect, according to 2 News. Her trial is scheduled to begin on July 23.
An attorney for Cherie did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.com.
