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Walter, unlike many others, was able to defy the pattern that prevented black people from making it in their communities. He started a pulpwood business that kept growing in the 1970s so that, by the 1980's he had a solid, trustworthy business that won him respect and admiration among many people, black or white.

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Walter and Karen Kelly's Affair (Early 1980s)

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Walter and Karen Kelly's Affair (Early 1980s)

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When Karen Kelly, a married twenty-five year old, began to flirt with him, Walter forgot all about the consequences of being in a relationship with a white woman and began another affair. When Karen's husband found out about the affair, he was incredibly angry and he filed for divorce and sole custody of their children. Walter was called to testify for both trials. Interracial relationships were prohibited at this time and Walter's reputation came to represent something more dirty.

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The Murder of Ronda Morrison (November 1st, 1986)

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The Murder of Ronda Morrison (November 1st, 1986)

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Ronda Morrison, a beloved member of the community, lost her life while working at Monroe Cleaners during an armed-robbery. For weeks, the murder went unsolved, outraging many people in the community, to the point that the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) was brought in.

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Ralph Myers was a man with a severely scarred face and an extensive criminal record. Desperate for attention after being implicated for another murder, Ralph began to make up inside knowledge on the murder of Ronda Morrison to please the ABI, including the fact that Walter was behind it. While Myers' theory was clearly ridiculous and the ABI had collected numerous pieces of evidence against it, they persisted.

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Eventually, when the officers were getting more desperate, they suggested to Myers' that Walter had sexually assaulted him. This gave the police enough to arrest Walter on that charge. When Walter heard the charge, he was confused but he knew better than to fight back with the police, even after being called a series of racial slurs by them. They asked Walter questions about Ronda Morrison and, when he did not comply, they threw him in jail and continued with the investigation, attempting to find more evidence that would convict Walter.

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Bill Hooks' Allegations (Summer of 1987)

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Bill Hooks' Allegations (Summer of 1987)

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Bill Hooks was a jailhouse informant who had been arrested for burglary. When Walter was arrested, the police were able to bring his truck in. With them struggling to produce real evidence against Walter, they showed the truck to Hooks, promising him early release and reward money if he could connect the truck to the murder of Ronda Morrison. Bill eagerly told them that he had seen the truck outside the scene of the crime. This gave law enforcement enough to charge Walter with the capital murder of Ronda Morrison.

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The Reponses of the Community (Summer of 1987)

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The Reponses of the Community (Summer of 1987)

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After the news about Walter's arrest broke, there were mixed responses across the community. Some people cheered for the police ad district attorney and were happy to be able to move on with their lives. Other people were unable to believe the allegations, claiming that the police had the wrong guy. Nevertheless, law enforcement continued to stick with the McMillan accusation.

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Walter's Time in Prison (August 1st, 1987)

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Walter's Time in Prison (August 1st, 1987)

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When Myers' recants his allegations, the police ignore him and, instead, place Walter and him in a death row facility, which was illegal. Walter's time on death row subjecting him to loss of hope and many other pessimistic feelings, changing him in many negative ways. Ralph Myers' fared no better, also being charged with the capital murder of Ronda Morrison. Myers' reached a point where he had to be brought back to the county jail. Ralph once again affirmed his accusations.

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The Changing of Walter's Trial's Date (1988)

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The Changing of Walter's Trial's Date (1988)

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Walter's trial date kept changing due to various reasons. One of those reasons was because Myers was struggling to testify. He was sent from a mental facility to death row and eventually came back to affirming his allegations. The date changed from February of 1988 to August of 1988, a six month delay.

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The Trial of Walter McMillan (August 1988)

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The Trial of Walter McMillan (August 1988)

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The jury in Walter's trial was all white, due to the county it was being tried in. While Walter had an alibi from multiple witnesses and his lawyer did his best, he was found guilty of capital murder.