Old Murder Case Progressing, But Where?

When William See Walker made his initial appearance in Northwest District Court in Williston Frid...  More »

When William See Walker made his initial appearance in Northwest District Court in Williston Friday on a class-double-A murder charge, he did it while sitting at the State Penitentiary in Bismarck. See Walker appeared via interactive television. But as the court prepared to adjourn, the question of where subsequent hearings should be held was unanswered. See Walker was recently charged with the 1982 murder of 18-year old college student Gary Gerth of Bowman. Gerth was killed by a shotgun blast as he worked at the Mon-Dak Convenience Store in Williston, the same place where a new convenience store now sits. When the defense suggested the next hearing in the case be held in the same way, prosecutors said it would not work. (Nicole Foster, Williams Co. State's Attorney) I've spoken with the warden of the ND State Penitentiary who indicated to me prior to this hearing that this sort of situation would not be allowed to happen again. This is not something they typically do for inmates. (Brenda Neubauer, Defense Attorney) We do have the video conferencing capability in Burleigh County which would only involve a few miles transport instead of a transfer all the way to Williston which would involve perhaps overnight housing and that type of thing. Judge Gerald Rustad said a decision on where See Walker would be for the next hearing will be made if and when a hearing is scheduled. The prosecutor in the case says it's possible a plea agreement will be reached in the case. See Walker is currently serving a federal prison sentence in the North Dakota State Penitentiary. He was transferred to North Dakota from a federal prison in Colorado about the time the murder charges were filed in Williston.  « Less