photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Owen Walker appears at a hearing on March 27, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man who was accused at a trial of possibly being the true killer of a 14-year-old boy was convicted on Thursday of interfering with police in the investigation.

The man, Owen Gage Walker, 20, was to be a key witness in the trial of Derrick Del Reed, 19, of Lawrence, in March of 2024. Reed was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 14-year-old Kamarjay Shaw after Shaw was shot in the back on March 18, 2023, while running away from Reed’s home at 1318 Maple Lane in Lawrence. Reed was 17 at the time of the shooting.

Walker was with Reed on the street that day when Shaw was shot, and Reed’s attorney, Mark Hartman, told jurors that Walker may have been the one who fired the gun after a witness who was hiding in a house nearby said they saw someone with Walker’s description holding the gun, as the Journal-World reported.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Owen Walker is pictured moments after pleading to felony interference in the investigation of the shooting death of Kamarjay Shaw. A tattoo can be seen on his hand that says “Only God can judge me.”

The night of the shooting, Walker was detained by police and gave a statement claiming that Reed had fired the gun. Walker was then released. Police originally recommended charges of conspiracy to murder for Walker, but Walker was only charged with felony obstruction and interference. Walker avoided arrest and was wanted by police until he turned himself in after Reed was acquitted at trial.

On Thursday, Walker pleaded no contest to one felony count of interference, a reduced charge as part of a plea agreement with the state. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing, during which prosecutors would have had to provide the court with probable cause that Walker committed the crimes he was charged with.

Judge Sally Pokorny accepted his plea and said that if the state was correct and that Walker has a minimal criminal history, he would face no more than seven months in prison, but that state law would require her to suspend the sentence to 12 months of probation.

Walker is currently free on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1.