GALVESTON, Texas – The Galveston Police Department held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to provide the latest developments from the March 2019 murder of Melvin Walker.
The murder was classified as a cold case until this year after new information and technology helped detectives identify the suspect involved.
On March 30, 2019, Galveston police responded to a call at 7 a.m. in the 3800 block of Avenue P 1/2 in regards of a dead person.
Upon arrival, police said officers found 66-year-old Walker on the sidewalk, covered with a blanket. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examiner said the victim suffered blunt force trauma from being beaten to death.
Early on in the investigation, Earnest Pierre was named as a person of interest but there was not enough evidence at the time to charge him with murder, according to detectives. The case went cold for a couple of years before investigators were able to revisit the case and determine a plan of action, thanks to the advances of technology.
Police said the new forensic discoveries solidified Pierre was the primary suspect in this case from sensitive DNA found at a secondary location.
Formal charges were approved by the Galveston District Attorney’s Office. Pierre was transported from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where he is currently serving 15 years for robbery and obstruction of retaliation, to the Galveston County Jail for the murder charge.
According to investigators, Pierre knew Walker prior to killing him.
Police also said Pierre is a person of interest in an ongoing murder case of Donna Brown.
Galveston police said they are currently reviewing several cold cases with the new technology in hopes to bring more closure to the victims’ families.