Sexual Torture: Close the Loophole in Alabama’s Capital Murder Statute
The Issue
My father, Derek Walls, was brutally murdered and sexually tortured in 2024.
As his daughter, I am still trying to process the horrific way his life was taken. No family should ever have to endure this kind of loss, and no family should have to navigate the legal system only to discover that the law may not fully account for the cruelty of what was done to their loved one.
Under Alabama’s capital murder statute, certain sexual offenses, including rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse, can qualify as circumstances that elevate a murder to capital murder. However, we have been told that because my father was sexually tortured with an inanimate object, the circumstances of his case do not qualify under that provision.
I believe this is a gap in the law that needs to be addressed.
Sexual torture is a horrific violation of another human being. The method used should not create a gap in the law that leaves certain acts of sexual violence unaccounted for when determining whether a murder qualifies as capital murder.
My family and I are asking Alabama lawmakers to review the current statute and introduce legislation that explicitly includes qualifying acts of sexual torture in the circumstances that can constitute capital murder.
We know that changing the law will not change what happened to my dad, and we understand that a change would not undo the injustice our family feels today. Our goal is to help prevent another family from facing this same issue in the future.
I am asking the public to stand with us. Please sign this petition, share it with others, and contact your Alabama legislators to ask them to take action.
This is bigger than my family. It is about making sure Alabama’s laws address the severity of these crimes and that other families have a voice when the unthinkable happens to someone they love.
My father’s name is Derek Walls. His life mattered. What happened to him matters. And I hope that by speaking up, we can help make a difference for the families who come after us.
Please help us ask Alabama to close this gap in the law.
Sign and share this petition to support legislative change!
695
The Issue
My father, Derek Walls, was brutally murdered and sexually tortured in 2024.
As his daughter, I am still trying to process the horrific way his life was taken. No family should ever have to endure this kind of loss, and no family should have to navigate the legal system only to discover that the law may not fully account for the cruelty of what was done to their loved one.
Under Alabama’s capital murder statute, certain sexual offenses, including rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse, can qualify as circumstances that elevate a murder to capital murder. However, we have been told that because my father was sexually tortured with an inanimate object, the circumstances of his case do not qualify under that provision.
I believe this is a gap in the law that needs to be addressed.
Sexual torture is a horrific violation of another human being. The method used should not create a gap in the law that leaves certain acts of sexual violence unaccounted for when determining whether a murder qualifies as capital murder.
My family and I are asking Alabama lawmakers to review the current statute and introduce legislation that explicitly includes qualifying acts of sexual torture in the circumstances that can constitute capital murder.
We know that changing the law will not change what happened to my dad, and we understand that a change would not undo the injustice our family feels today. Our goal is to help prevent another family from facing this same issue in the future.
I am asking the public to stand with us. Please sign this petition, share it with others, and contact your Alabama legislators to ask them to take action.
This is bigger than my family. It is about making sure Alabama’s laws address the severity of these crimes and that other families have a voice when the unthinkable happens to someone they love.
My father’s name is Derek Walls. His life mattered. What happened to him matters. And I hope that by speaking up, we can help make a difference for the families who come after us.
Please help us ask Alabama to close this gap in the law.
Sign and share this petition to support legislative change!
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Petition created on October 28, 2026