On January 21, 2026, the Dallas County Commissioners Court unanimously adopted a resolution officially exonerating Tommy Lee Walker. This posthumous declaration came 70 years after Texas wrongfully executed him in the electric chair on May 12, 1956, at just 21 years old.Walker was arrested and tried by an all-white jury in 1954 for the rape and murder of Venice Parker.
The exoneration, led by the Dallas County District Attorney's office, the Innocence Project, and Northeastern University's Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, found that his conviction was heavily flawed.
Details of his wrongful conviction include:Coerced Confession: Walker was interrogated for hours by a detective who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and forced to sign a false confession, which he immediately recanted.
Airtight Alibi: Walker had multiple witnesses confirming he was across town at a hospital for the birth of his son.
Racial Bias & Prosecutorial Misconduct: Prosecutors utilized inflammatory tactics, struck all prospective jurors of color, and withheld exculpatory evidence.
You can read the full resolution and details of his case reported by the Innocence Project or delve into the case's deep legal background through the Equal Justice Initiative.
