WALKER CASE TEACHES US TRAGEDY OF DRUG ABUSE

Before we get too carried away with the emotions that still seem to
be swirling around the second-degree murder conviction of Yorkton
father Kim Walker, maybe there are a couple things we need to think about.

First, it's always a mugs game to second-guess a jury because they
enjoy a few advantages we don't have. Perhaps most critical in an
emotionally charged case like the one in which Walker was convicted
of murdering James Hayward is that it gets to do its job away from the emotion.

The first thing the judge did in this case is unburden the jury
members from their personal feelings by specifically instructing them
not to make their decision on emotion. Instead, they were told to
evaluate the case only on the evidence heard.

Not only is this a fairer system of justice, but it also puts juries
like the one in Yorkton at a tremendous advantage over the rest of us.

The notion of a father using the ultimate extreme measure to protect
his 16-year-old daughter from her 24-year-old drug-dealing boyfriend
is one that comes pre-wrapped in a lot of emotion for many of us.
Added to this the never-ending opinions you hear on coffee row on
what kind of person James Hayward was and the media coverage that
often focused on Walker's adoring and supportive daughter Jadah. This
makes it almost impossible for the rest of us to look at the case
dispassionately.

Second, the 12 members of that Yorkton jury heard all the testimony.
You or I didn't. That, alone, put them in the best position to make
the right the decision.

Third, much is being made of the judge's charge to the jury in which
Justice Jennifer Pritchard suggested acquittal is not an option. Her
suggestion that the jury had to find Walker guilty of either first or
second-degree murder or manslaughter will be grounds for appeal.

But the very fact that this objective jury found Walker guilty of
second-degree murder, a conviction that implies there was some level
of premeditation in his actions, may tell us something. By rejecting
the notion that Walker's actions was neither pre-planned first-degree
murder nor an accidental manslaughter, it appears this jury was able
to reach a conclusion on its own.

However, it's important to get past the emotions of this horrible
case simply because we need to be focus on the underlying realities
of drug addiction.

Clearly, what Kim Walker's case shows us that intervention needs to
occur long before spirals down to an emotional state of absolute
desperation. As the judge told Walker after the jury decision: "You
were a desperate man. In saving your daughter, you wrongfully and
unnecessarily took the life of another human being."

And the problem may be the belief in some rural communities that this
couldn't or isn't happening in their town. There may still be a naive
belief that they are safe from the hard addictive drugs at the root
of this sad story. But as Jadah Walker said in one of her many
interviews, you can get any drug you want in a community like Yorkton.

Communities must be vigilant. But with so much of the debate focusing
on the emotional issue of what, if any, punishment Walker deserves,
that message might be lost. In the wake of tragedy, we truly need to
refocus on the drug problem in smaller communities. As the Walker
case showed ignoring it or overlooking until it's too late can result
in tragedy.

In fact, Jadah Walker may have summed it up best.

"I don't want a situation like this to happen to anyone else," Jadah
Walker told James Wood of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

"You can never ever turn someone away I would never have lived
through this without the support of my parents."