Walden gets life in prison for Ford murder

MARSHALL, Mo. — In a Jackson County court proceeding Wednesday, Judge Marco A. Roldan handed down a life sentence to Joshua C. Walden, 28, of Warsaw, Mo., for the murder of Steve A. Ford in October 2006.

Walden also will serve a concurrent sentence of 30 years on a related charge of armed criminal action.

Wednesday's sentencing was the result of a plea agreement that reduced the original charge of first-degree murder to second-degree murder.

In his testimony Wednesday, Walden said he shot Ford, "3 or 4 times," when the two argued at Ford's home. After the shooting, Walden said he collected more than a dozen rifles from the home and left the area. He was apprehended in Madison County, Ohio, four days later.

A previous attempt at a plea agreement fell through Oct. 30, when Walden came up short on the allocution portion of the proceeding.

His father, Richard C. Walden, 50, also of Warsaw, was charged with class D felony hindering the prosecution of a felony for his part in helping his son flee the state.

At Wednesday's hearing, Ford's sister, Vivian Ford, described her brother as "not much of a talker, which might make him seem gruff … but inside him, (there was) a kid somewhere."

"He was a father, brother, uncle and son … he had a purpose in life. He would have retired this year … to open his own tackle shop."

Addressing Walden more directly, she said, "You took so much away from us … a sad comment on your life. I don't wish death to you, but why did you do this?"

Walden was represented by Mary Ellen Trimiar Young of Holden.

Court records on the Web indicate that Walden pleaded guilty to felony stealing and burglary in 2002 and felony theft and felony tampering with a motor vehicle in 2004.

For more on the story, visit The Marshall Democrat-News.