Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Tylan Joseph Walker, age 21, of Winnebago, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 15, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Walker to 97 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Walker’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On March 30, 2024, Walker was drinking and socializing with friends. At one point, he and a female friend met up with a 19-year-old Winnebago man and spent time drinking and talking. After a minor disagreement between the two men, Walker started a fist fight and then stabbed the 19-year-old male in the upper thigh area. The victim bled profusely and was unresponsive by the time emergency services arrived on scene. Despite extensive efforts by emergency services and medical staff at two hospitals, the victim ultimately succumbed to his wounds and died on April 3, 2024. Before handing down Walker’s 97-month sentence, Judge Buescher heard testimony from several members of the victim’s family, who asked the court to consider the deep pain and trauma experienced by their family and the Winnebago community as a whole because of Walker’s actions.
This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.