The Murder of Tracey Walker
On 30th July 2019, Tracey Walker, 40, was walking down Ladies Drive in Shetland, UK. Two people approached Tracey and attempted to steal her money before murdering her. It has been suggested she was going to pay off a large debt and that her murders knew she was carrying a large amount of money. Tracey's lifeless body was later discovered and the police were called. She had died from injuries to her neck from repeatedly being stabbed and having her throat slit.
Dawn Smith, 28, and Ross MacDougall, 32, both known drug users and the latter of whom had previously served time for stabbing, were found guilty of the murder. A jury heard how Smith handed MacDougall a fish filleting knife which she had taken from her step-father’s home. The pair then confronted Ms Walker before striking her in the head with a rock, attempting to strangle her and stabbing her in the throat. They then watched their victim die for up to 10 minutes before leaving the scene. The pair were found guilty at trial; Smith was sentenced to serve at least 20 years and two months and MacDougall a minimum of 20 years.
