Cherie Dawn Walker was convicted of enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of child neglect after her 11-year-old daughter gave birth at home.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — An Oklahoma judge has sentenced Cherie Dawn Walker to seven consecutive life terms after a jury convicted her of enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of child neglect in a case that began when her 11-year-old daughter gave birth at the family home without prenatal or medical care.
Muskogee County District Judge Timothy King imposed the sentences Friday, Oct. 30, matching the punishment recommended by jurors who found Walker guilty on all seven felony counts in July. Court records show that Walker appeared in person from jail for sentencing and that the life terms were ordered to run consecutively.
The investigation began in August 2025 after authorities learned that Walker’s daughter, then 11, had delivered a full-term infant at the family’s Muskogee County home. The child was taken to a hospital after the birth, and police were contacted. Prosecutors said she had received no prenatal care and had not seen a doctor for more than a year before giving birth. The girl and her siblings were later removed from the home.
Authorities subsequently determined that Walker’s husband, Dustin Joel Walker, was the infant’s father. Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson said DNA testing showed a 99% certainty of paternity. Dustin Walker, the girl’s stepfather, later pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a child under 12 and six counts of child neglect. King sentenced him in June to life in prison plus 42 years, with the 42-year term to be served before the life sentence.
The case against Cherie Walker focused on whether she failed to protect the child from abuse and failed to provide adequate care for the children in the household. Prosecutors rejected claims that the adults responsible for the girl did not know she was pregnant. Hutson previously told local reporters that the child was small but had delivered a normal-sized infant, circumstances prosecutors said were inconsistent with the family’s claim that the pregnancy had gone unnoticed.
Hutson also said the girl had been out of school for a period of time and may have been homeschooled. That reduced her contact with teachers, medical professionals and other adults who might otherwise have noticed warning signs. Local reporting after the arrests also raised concerns about conditions at the family home, including allegations from a neighbor that the property lacked running water and that she had previously contacted authorities about the children’s welfare.
Family members initially disputed prosecutors’ account. The child’s maternal grandmother, Michelle Lynn Justus, told KJRH after the investigation began that the family did not know about the pregnancy. Prosecutors later charged Justus separately with six felony counts of child neglect or, in the alternative, enabling child neglect involving six children, according to court records. Justus has not been convicted, and the charges against her remain allegations.
Justus waived her right to a jury trial in August. Court records show her case is scheduled for a pretrial conference Nov. 19, followed by a bench trial beginning Jan. 12, 2027. Her case is separate from the convictions of Cherie and Dustin Walker.
Cherie Walker’s sentencing closes the trial-court phase of her case after more than a year of criminal proceedings. The Oct. 30 court entry directs that transcripts of both the trial and sentencing be prepared at state expense. The record lists Walker’s seven convictions as one felony count of enabling child sexual abuse and six felony counts of child neglect, each carrying a consecutive life sentence.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.