The Misery Machine - The Case of the Oklahoma Walker Family

Episode Date: July 27, 2026

This week, Drewby and Yergy head to Oklahoma to discuss the case of Dustin Joel Walker and Cherie Dawn Walker, a couple who received life prison sentences in mid-2026 following a horrific child sexual abuse and neglect investigation in Muskogee County. The case came to light in August 2025 when Cherie's 11-year-old daughter gave birth at home without any prenatal care or medical assistance, and subsequent DNA tests proved that her stepfather, Dustin, was the father of the child. : When authorities raided the Muskogee residence, they discovered the couple's five other children (ages 2 to 9) living in absolute squalor. The home had no running water or air conditioning, was heavily doused in animal feces and urine, and the children were found completely unclothed. Cherie's mother, Michelle Lynn Justus, was charged with six counts of felony child neglect. She has not entered a guilty plea, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Support Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachineJoin Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachineOfficial Merch Store: https://miserymachine-shop.fourthwall.com/Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM#documentary #themiserymachine #truecrime 🚨 EDUCATIONAL, DOCUMENTARY, SCIENTIFIC, OR ARTISTIC CONTENT DISCLAIMER 🚨CONTENT WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS ABOUT A SENSITIVE TOPIC INVOLVING LOSS OF LIFE. WE'VE REMOVED ANY GRAPHIC CONTENT TO COMPLY WITH YOUTUBE'S GUIDELINES. WE AIM TO PROVIDE INFORMATIVE, FACTUAL JOURNALISM ON A TRAGIC EVENT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST THAT DOES NOT DISMISS ITS SERIOUSNESS. ALL CLIPS ARE USED UNDER THE DOCTRINE OF FAIR USE FOR NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSISFair Use Disclaimer: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Muskogee, Oklahoma, sits about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa. Geographically, it acts as a meeting point where the planes shift into green country, nestled into the heavy. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink. Precate drop off, then straight to the gin. Back home to meal prep before heading to the fire station for my shift. When the three alarm comes in, I'm ready. Celsius. Live, fit, go. Grab a cold, refreshing Celsius.

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to notice when something is wrong. But something was wrong for a long time before anyone could do anything about it. Cherie Dawn Walker was 33 years old in the summer of 2025. She had been living in Muskogee with her husband Dustin Joel Walker, who was 34. Dustin was the stepfather to Cherie's oldest child, an 11-year-old girl. Between them, the walkers were responsible for six children in total. The 11-year-old girl, we mentioned, plus five others ranging in age from 2 to 9. According to neighbor Cheryl Atkins,

They have no running water for the last two or three years. They have dogs in the house. They have cats in the house. Six children. The oldest is 11 and everybody else is younger. This is getting to them. And I've talked about it. I said, they're not doing nothing.

They're not helping them kids. And I've called. Called about the dogs. Call about the children. She told reporters she had contacted law enforcement and child protective services multiple times about the conditions in that home. Or a testimony later confirmed that CPS made multiple attempts to enter

and that every time they were turned away. The children were not in school, and the walkers told authorities that they were homeschooled. This meant that the people most likely to notice a child in crisis never had access to these kids. The 11-year-old girl in particular had not been taken to a doctor in over a year. According to reports, prosecutors allege that Dustin had been essaying his 11-year-old

stepdaughter during this period. Court documents specified that this occurred between January 1st and August 16th of 2025. The result was a pregnancy the girl carried to full term alone in a house with no running water with five younger children around her while the adults in the home blocked every system an opportunity that could possibly protect her. Assistant District Attorney Janet Bickle Hudson, who has prosecuted CA cases throughout her career said that, and I quote, this is one of the most, if not the most serious CSA and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted.

Michelle Lindjustice, who is Cherie's mother and the victim's maternal grandmother, spoke to reporters outside the home and gave only her first name. She insisted the family had no idea the girl was pregnant, but offered an explanation for who she believed the father was. She said the following. We didn't know this was happening. None of us. How do you think your granddaughter got pregnant?

He keeps telling us that it was a little 12-year-old boy that I used to keep my babysat. She keeps telling everybody that it was him. They got curious is all I know. We knew about my granddaughter's pregnancy and we did not. She also addressed the condition of the house saying, We have animals, and so sometimes there's trash on the floor because the dogs get into the trash. It gets cleaned up. She defended her daughter and son-in-law telling reporters,

they've made my daughter and my son-in-law a monster. They are not. They love those children. They love them. But within two weeks, Michelle Justice was charged with six counts of felony child neglect. On August 16, 2025, the girl gave birth to a first. full-term baby inside the Walker home in Muskogee. She was alone when she delivered. No doctor, no nurse, no family members. No one was there. Muskogee County EMS was called and the child was

transported to St. Francis Hospital. According to ADA Hudson, I was horror-stricken to find out that it's an 11-year-old little girl who's given birth and that she had no medical care and she had no one to be with her. Eidie Hutzson later described the victim as rather Poteet and noted that she had nonetheless delivered a normal-sized infant. According to court documents, investigators found children living in dog feces with no clothes on inside the home. All six of them were removed on August 19, 2025. The very next day, the walkers had initial court appearances. Neither had retained an attorney, so the court appointed public defenders. Bond was set at $100,000 each. Their initial charge was one count of felony

child neglect. But on August 25th, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation released the results of DNA testing on the baby. In Toronto, every arrival is a statement, and nothing says it better than this. Cadillac Optic was the number one selling luxury EV in Canada for 2025. Find your rhythm across a seamless 33-inch display and an immersive 19 speaker AKG surround audio system. This city demands agility, and Optic delivers with precision to make every drive extraordinary. Let's take the Cadillac. Find out more at Cadillac Canada.ca. Luxury sales claim based on S&P Global Mobility Canadian New Vehicle Total Registrations for calendar year 2025 for the Cadillac definition of luxury. The result was a 99.9% certainty that Dustin Walker is the baby's father.

Dustin Walker was subsequently charged with essay of a child under 12. This is a charge that under Oklahoma law carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years with a maximum. of life in prison. He also had six counts of felony child neglect. One count covered the failure to provide the girl with medical care when she gave birth. The remaining five covered each of the other children in the home for the period between January 1st and August 16th of 2025. Cherie Walker was charged with enabling CSA, which is punishable under Oklahoma law by up to life in prison, along with those same six counts of child neglect. The state moved to revoke both of their bonds that same day and a judge granted the motion on August 26. August 29th,

Michelle Lynn Justice was charged with six counts of felony child neglect, one for each of the six children. Her initial bond was set at $75,000. The preliminary hearing for Cherie Walker and Michelle Justice was held on January 30th, 26 in Muskogee County District Court. Justin Walker waived his rights to a preliminary hearing. His attorney expected a guilty plea and there was no reason to put the state's case on the table when the DNA had already established paternity at 99.9%. Six witnesses testified for the other two defendants at the January 30th hearing, including a Muskogee Police Department investigator, an EMS provider, a labor and delivery nurse from St. Francis Hospital, a family nurse practitioner,

and Emma Burroughs, a child welfare specialist from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. She confirmed the deplorable conditions inside the Walker home. She confirmed that CPS had made multiple attempts to enter during the period the girl had been pregnant and had been turned away every time. She also testified about what the victim's younger siblings had disclosed, that the family knew about the pregnancy. The sibling had drawn a picture of the girl pregnant. Allegedly, Michelle had told the children not to tell anyone.

Dustin entered what is called a blind, plea, which is a guilty or no contest plea made to a judge without a prearranged plea bargain or sentencing agreement from the prosecutor. His attorney, Ben Hilfiger, explained the plea decision saying, normally we will have a plea agreement when we go to plea our clients, but in this case, I didn't feel like there was one that we could get that would be useful or helpful in any way. March 26, 26, Dustin appeared before Judge Timothy King in Muskogee County District Court and entered a blind guilty plea to all seven counts. One count of essay of a child under 12 and six counts of felony child neglect. All seven charges carry what Oklahoma law calls 85% status, meaning

Dustin must serve at least 85% of whatever sentence Judge King imposes before becoming eligible for parole. Dustin's attorney was quoted as saying, because they are punishable up to life, life has been calculated in the state of Oklahoma to be 45 years. So if he is sentenced to life, he must serve 38 years and three months before he is eligible for parole. As for the full sentencing range, he said, it's wide open. Count one carries a minimum of 25 years, and they all carry up to life. After the plea, the court ordered a pre-sentence investigation covering Dustin Walker's background, the nature of the crimes, and recommendations for the judge.

That report was received on June 4th. Sentencing was scheduled for June 18th, then continued to June 29th of 2026. on the day of sentencing, the state presented exhibits and called four witnesses, the pediatrician, a treatment provider, a DHS caseworker, and a Department of Corrections pre-sentence investigator. Dustin's lawyer objected when the children's medical information was about to be discussed in open court. DHS caseworker confirmed on the stand that she had the authority to waive HIPAA protections

for the children's records, so the testimony continued. Judge King sentenced Dustin to the following to be served, consecutively. Count one, essay of a child under 12, life in prison. Count two. First count of child neglect, 15 years in the Department of Corrections. Counts three through six, four additional child neglect counts five years for each of them. Count seven, the final count of child neglect, seven years. The judge ordered that counts two through seven, the neglect charges that totaled 42 years must be served first. Then and only then does the life sentence start. Dustin received credit for time served since August 16th of 2025.

He must also register as a lifetime six offender with supervision conditions and have no contact with the victims ever. One week after sentencing on July 6, Dustin's defense attorney filed an application to withdraw plea of guilty. Prosecution objected on July 7th. A hearing on that application is scheduled for July 28th of 26. If the court denies it, the sentence, stands subject to any further appeal. The court grants it, Dustin goes to trial. His sentence is

not final as of the date of this recording. Sheree Walker went to trial in July 13, 26, in Muskogee County District Court before Judge Timothy King, the same judge who had sentenced her husband two weeks earlier. ADA Janet Hudson led the prosecution, while Sheree was represented by court-appointed attorney Matthew Price. Jury selection took two days. July 14th, after the jury was seated and sworn in, ADA Hudson opened for the state. The defense reserved its opening and the state built its case over three and a half days.

The jury heard the 911 call from August 16th. They watched body cam footage recorded at St. Francis Hospital when officers first made contact with Sheree and Dustin Walker after the birth. Two Muskogee County EMS providers testified about what they encountered. A registered nurse from St. Francis Hospital's labor and delivery unit testified, as did a nurse midwife from the same unit. The jury saw the birth records for the infant, including length and weight. July 15th, the state read a formal stipulation to the jury confirming the water service at the defendant's address, and the jury saw photographs of the interior

of the Walker home. Two DHS workers testified about what the department had documented, what had been attempted, and what had happened every time they attempted to gain access to the home. On July 6th, 16th, 2026, the jury watched video testimony from the victim's sibling. Then, a forensic interviewer took the stand and the jury watched a 53-minute video, which was the recorded forensic interview of one of the children in this case. The state also stipulated Dustin Walker's plea of guilty and his full sentencing information into evidence as states' exhibit 26. The state rested its case on the evening of July 16th. July 17th, the defense opened and called six witnesses. including the pastor of a church identified in court records as NLC, as well as a Sunday school

teacher and three church members, one of them being Sheree Walker's aunt. Sheree herself did not take the stand. The defense introduced seven photographs, which included a photo of the victim at a pool party taken June 27, 2025, photos from church, photos from birthday parties in October of 2022, photos from what the records described as a memorial service in March of 2023, as well as a photo from a swimming pool in June of 2023. The jury had already seen the utility records, the photographs of the home, the DHS testimony,

forensic interview, and Dustin Walker signed guilty plea. After closing arguments from both sides, they went to deliberate, and they did not have to do so for very long. With all seven counts, the verdict was guilty. The punishment recommended, life in prison. Cherie's formal sentencing will be set before Judge Timothy King at a later hearing. Now, while child assay on a federal level can carry up to a life sentence,

not every state in the U.S. has life as the maximum for these charges. And even in the states that do, it's quite often we see someone plea down and receive a much lighter sentence, one that allows them to walk free one day, all while the child has to carry around a life sentence of their own every day of their life. Even if Dustin Walker doesn't formally get a life sentence, the minimum terms for all his charges make it so there's a very good chance he dies in prison. And as for Sheree Walker, quite often when you have a mother who enables the assault, it is common to see them get slaps on the wrist. I cannot remember the last time I've seen one face life in prison. And if there was ever a circumstance where life should be on the table, it is this one.

not only enabling the repeated essay of her own daughter, but forcing her to give birth without any prenatal or medical care. Her daughter and the baby, her granddaughter, both of them could have died in childbirth. It was a very real possibility that at the beginning of this video, we would instead be talking about who this little girl was and about her baby who never got a chance at life. Thankfully, both of them are okay, and we hope they get every resource possible, to help them through the uphill battle that is to come, especially for this 11-year-old girl who have to navigate being a mother, all while still being just a child,

and reaching her adult years, trying to come to terms of the fact that her mother, and allegedly her grandmother, not only failed her, but completely and utterly betrayed her. I hope Dustin and Cherie never, ever see the light of day again. Three people were charged in this case. two of them have been convicted. One is three days away from going to trial as of the date that we record this.

Dustin Joel Walker is in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. His lawyer is currently attempting to undo his guilty plea. The hearing on the application to withdraw plea of guilty is scheduled for July 28th. If the court denies it, the sentence stands, subject to appeal. If the court grants it, he goes to. to trial. Cherie Don Walker is convicted on seven felony counts in awaiting formal sentencing from Judge King. She remains in custody.

Michelle Injustice goes to trial on July 23rd, represented by Attorney Ryan Ferguson. She has not entered a guilty plea and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. She is free on a $50,000 bond with conditions. She is to have no contact with the victims in no unsupervised contact with any child. The six children removed from the Walker home are in other placements. Their names have never been publicly released. The youngest was two years old when this started.

ADA Hudson said at the January 30th preliminary hearing, and I quote, My hope is that with justice, these children will find some permanency in a better place.