Man charged with murder after West Sacramento hit-and-run that killed 2 girls

Yolo County prosecutors on Tuesday filed charges including murder against a man suspected of killing two teenage girls in a Saturday night hit-and-run in West Sacramento.

David Alison Walker, whom police previously identified as a 71-year-old Fair Oaks resident, was charged with two counts each of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a hit-and-run felony. He was also accused of stealing the Audi sedan he was operating during the crash and of driving without a valid driver’s license.

The collision occurred near the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Bevan Road around 9 p.m. Saturday, the West Sacramento Police Department said.

The two victims were identified as Layla Clemons and Jaea Chatman, both 17. The two were girlfriends, according to a GoFundMe appeal by Clemons’ family, which said she was an aspiring nurse with a “bright smile, gentle spirit and kind heart.”

Walker was arrested Sunday morning after an overnight investigation, the Police Department said in a social media post. He is being held at the Monroe Detention Center in Woodland, said Wendy Wilcox, a spokesperson for the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.

The five-page criminal complaint filed Tuesday by the District Attorney’s Office sheds little light on the unclear circumstances of the collision. Clemons’ mother told KCRA that the pair were biking at the time of the crash.

For the murder charges, the prosecutors accused Walker of killing each victim “with malice aforethought.” The motive was not explained.

“The crime involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness,” the complaint says.

Walker could not immediately be reached for comment. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Yolo Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon.

The crash on Jefferson Boulevard has also raised questions about traffic safety on the road. The city of West Sacramento is planning to make changes, said city spokesperson Paul Hosley.

“While the city has made significant investments in safety and roadway quality along Jefferson Boulevard, the site of this incident is located on a rural stretch of the corridor that does not yet include bike lanes or sidewalks,” Hosley said in a statement. “The city has both short- and long-term plans in place to bring safety improvements to this segment of Jefferson.”