A not guilty verdict this week put an end to a 14 year arson case at Murray State that killed one student and permanently injured another. Jerry Wayne Walker Jr. has been the prosecution's prime suspect since the start. He was initially tried in 2001 and was free after the jury couldn't reach a verdict.
His second trial on July 16th. Walker's attorneys used testimony from a combustion expert to refute expert witness testimony for the prosecution stating a single gallon of gasoline could have caused the blaze. The prosecution proved Walker purchased of one gallon of gasoline the night of the fire. The defense's expert said that it would have taken at least three gallons of fuel to cause the damage and produce the level of carbon monoxide needed to kill then student Michael Minger.
Jeff Beck of Marshall County was one of the twelve jurors. He agreed to an interview this week to provide more context to the trial and he explains how the jury came to it's final not guilty verdict.
