WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT:Cherie Walker was found guilty of failing to protect her young daughter from sexual abuse by her husband and for a string of child neglect offences.
A mum has been handed seven life sentences after her 11-year-old daughter gave birth to her stepdad’s baby. The horror case exposed alleged years of abuse and neglect.
Cherie Walker was sentenced on October 30 to seven consecutive life terms. The sentence came after she was found guilty of failing to protect her young daughter from sexual abuse by her husband, Dustin Walker, and for a string of child neglect offences.
The disturbing case came to light after emergency responders were called to the family home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA on August 16, 2025. The 11-year-old girl had gone through a full-term labour inside the house with no medical help.
She was rushed to hospital after she began haemorrhaging. Investigators said both Cherie Walker and Dustin Walker, 34, initially insisted they had no idea the child was pregnant.
But a DNA test later revealed a 99.9% match confirming Walker – the girl’s stepfather – was the biological father of the baby, WCIV reported. Prosecutors said the girl had been homeschooled and received zero prenatal care.
They added she had not been seen by a doctor in more than a year. Authorities also described appalling living conditions inside the home, saying it did not have running water.
Five other children, aged two to nine, were removed from the property as the investigation unfolded. Dustin Walker admitted the crimes, pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a child under 12 and six counts of felony child neglect.
He was sentenced to life in prison for the sexual abuse charge, plus an additional 42 years for the neglect charges, according to reports. Cherie Walker chose to fight the allegations at trial in July of this year, but a jury convicted her on all counts.
She was consequently convicted or one felony charge of enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of felony child neglect.
Additionally, a judge in Muskogee County formally sentenced her to seven consecutive life terms.
The wider family also came under scrutiny. According to PEOPLE, the victim’s grandmother, Michelle Justus, was charged with felony child neglect for allegedly knowing about the abuse and the conditions in the home, but failing to step in.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.