On Aug. 26, Walters allegedly stabbed his father multiple times, stole and crashed his truck, stole a police SUV and then crashed it in front of the downtown Dayton Metro Library while driving about 97 mph, striking a van, resulting in the deaths of two 6-year-old girls.
Walters, who had been released from prison just 16 days earlier and was on parole, is being held at the Montgomery County Jail on a $500,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned Thursday.
"It's just shocking and tragic what this defendant did that day that could have all been prevented," said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. "Certainly our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of those who lost these two little girls, as well as the other people who were injured."
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Heck announced that a grand jury has indicted Walters on 22 felony offenses.
Walters faces 15 years to life in prison for each of count of murder, as well as many decades behind bars for the other felony counts.
Walters faces the murder charges for causing the death of two children after committing robbery and stealing a Riverside police cruiser, said Erin Claypoole, an assistant prosecuting attorney with the office’s violent crimes bureau.
Walters allegedly stabbed his father, Lloyd Walters, multiple times on Xenia Avenue while inside his father’s truck.
Police say shortly after that Walters then crashed the truck on Airway Road in Riverside and then climbed into the police cruiser of the responding officer and took off in reverse, even after being tased.
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Another Riverside officer pursued the vehicle, but his vehicle was disabled after Walters rammed it.
Officers said Walters fled and at times traveled at speeds above 100 mph while heading downtown. After running a red light, Walters struck one vehicle and then smashed into a van in front of the downtown library carrying one adult and seven children.
Cousins Penelope Jasko of Dayton and Eleanor McBride of Huber Heights, both 6, were killed in the crash, and others were injured.
The evidence should show that Walters was under the influence of drugs during his crimes, said Heck, who added he did not know which drugs were involved. Multiple neighbors told this newspaper that Walters had been using meth and was acting delusional, paranoid and made threats against his father and others.
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Heck said they have no evidence that Walters had any mental incapacity or deficiency issues that means he’s not responsible for his actions.
Walters had to know that at the speeds at which he was traveling in a highly populated and busy area meant a bad crash was going to happen, authorities said.
“We’re going to do our very best to see that justice is given to these victims and the victims’ survivors,” Heck said. “Words can’t describe the way we feel when we see these kinds of cases.”
Walters has been to prison multiple times. In 2017, he was sentenced to probation for a robbery, but that was revoked and he was sent to prison for violating the terms of his post-release control.
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