Man sentenced to more than 21 years for crash that killed woman on scooter in Minneapolis

The man who was driving an SUV during a 2021 crash that killed a young woman on a scooter in Minneapolis was sentenced Thursday for his role in the crime.

Christopher London Walker, 33, pleaded guilty to counts of third-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in January. He received concurrent prison sentences Thursday of more than 21 years (260 months) for third-degree murder and 20 years for attempted second-degree murder, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

A criminal complaint states Walker was behind the wheel of a Range Rover amid a moving gunfight the night of Oct. 6, 2021.

According to surveillance video and witness accounts, the Range Rover had been chasing a Dodge Durango through the area before the Durango crashed into 18-year-old Autumn Merrick and pushed her into a building near the intersection of Fifth Street and Sixth Avenue North. The Range Rover crashed into a nearby light pole and caught on fire.

Merrick, who was riding on a scooter and was headed to the Holiday gas station across the street, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office had sought the maximum penalty of 24 years against Walker.

“This incident was extraordinarily dangerous and violent,” Moriarty said in a statement. “Mr. Walker’s conduct took the life of one person and endangered the lives of countless others as he drove erratically and at high speeds through Minneapolis. When necessary, we will seek lengthy periods of incapacitation to keep the public safe, and that is what occurred in this case.”

Marvel Galvaston Williams, the man in the front passenger seat of the Range Rover, was charged and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. He is now serving a 24-year prison sentence.