Denver officials forced to set wanted man free after Arkansas sheriff refused to pick him up

A man wanted in Arkansas for allegedly violating his probation in a 2017 murder case has twice been arrested and jailed in Denver since 2021, and both times, Denver authorities have had to release him from custody. In the most recent case in 2023, an Arkansas sheriff refused to have Raffiel Walker, 35, extradited to his state.

As a result of Walker remaining free in Denver, a mother believes Walker sold her son fentanyl in 2023, contributing to her son's overdose death.

"If Mr. Walker had been extradited to Arkansas and given the sentence they're requesting, he would not have been trolling the streets of Denver passing out poison," said the mother, who asked that her name not be used.

According to Arkansas records, Raffiel Walker was arrested in 2016 for residential burglary and terroristic threatening in Marianna, Arkansas. He allegedly robbed a woman in her home and brandished a weapon during the robbery.

The following year, Walker was arrested and initially charged with capital murder for participating in a Jan. 30, 2017 robbery and murder. Court documents indicate Walker later agreed to a plea bargain, pleading guilty in 2018 to second-degree murder and accepting a sentence of 20 years probation.

But in 2019, in Phillips County Arkansas, Walker was charged with allegedly dealing methamphetamines and cocaine and brandishing weapons. In 2021, Prosecutors in Arkansas' First Judicial District sought and obtained a nationwide warrant for Walker's arrest for violating the terms of his probation. According to court documents, they said his violating probation should result in him being sent to prison.

Arkansas authorities said they believed Walker had fled their state.

But in April of 2021, Denver police arrested Walker after he allegedly pointed a gun at another man during a drug sale. Police located Walker in a car at Colfax and Josephine and "Officers discovered that Walker had an outstanding nationwide full extradition warrant out of Arkansas for a parole violation from a capital murder/robbery case," according to police documents. They say at that point, Walker ran from them but he was located hiding on the roof of a nearby building and was taken into custody.

Police say they found a loaded handgun in Walker's car. They say Walker's backpack contained a large amount of methamphetamine and other drugs. He was charged with drug possession with intent to distribute, possession of a weapon by a previous offender along with his nationwide parole violation for capital murder/robbery. 

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann told CBS News Colorado that Arkansas authorities were notified that their wanted fugitive was being held in Denver. But she said Arkansas authorities failed to meet a legal deadline to file paperwork to extradite Walker to Arkansas.

"They were too late so we couldn't process the extradition," said McCann. "Obviously, we felt this is a person who should not be out in public. We felt he was a dangerous person." 

Denver prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain with Walker on his Denver charges, but say they asked that he be imprisoned for three years. Instead, court records show a judge gave Walker three years of probation and no additional jail time. Walker was a free man.

In 2023, Walker again got on the radar screen of Colorado law enforcement authorities following the April death of Calvin Grace from a drug overdose. Grace was found dead in his Englewood home. When police searched Grace's cellphone, they found before his death, he had exchanged text messages with a suspected drug dealer. Englewood police said the cellphone texting with Grace was linked to Raffiel Walker. 

Arapahoe County District Attorney John Kellner said, "This case is part of an active, ongoing criminal investigation. I currently have a dedicated criminal investigator reviewing the facts surrounding Calvin's death."  

Walker has not been charged in connection with  Calvin Grace's death and Kellner said he would provide additional information at the end of his office's review of the case.

Grace's mother is convinced Walker sold her son the fentanyl that contributed to his death. She says the fact Walker was not extradited to Arkansas after his 2021 Denver arrest is "absolutely unacceptable. I'm just at a loss and mind blown by what is happening."

That was not the end of the attempts to have Walker extradited to Arkansas.

In September 2023, Denver police again arrested Walker according to police and court records on his fugitive warrant. The Denver District Attorney's Office says it again contacted the Lee County sheriff to come get Raffiel Walker. This time, they say current Lee County Sheriff Corey Wilson, refused. Wilson did not respond to numerous phone calls and emails from CBS News Colorado asking why he would not pick up Walker. Denver authorities say they had no choice but to release Walker from jail.

"What kind of message does this send to Mr. Walker?" asked Grace's mother. "That he can just run away, he can just hide in another state and he's safe and never going to jail and never being held accountable for his prior crimes?"

"It's unfortunate Arkansas decided not to extradite him given the seriousness of their case. I can say it is unusual and our expectation was that they would pursue extradition," said McCann.

Walker isn't exactly hiding in Denver. CBS News Colorado found him living in a house just south of downtown Denver. He has lived in the home for nearly a year and even registered a catering business with the Colorado Secretary of State using his name and his home address.

In a phone call with CBS News Colorado, Walker said, "I got in a little trouble. I know that." But he said it was "none of your business. I don't have to explain it to you. I'm in trouble already." He went on to say he did not consent to having his name and picture on TV. "Do what you're gonna do bro," said Walker.

Calvin Grace's mother said what happened with Raffiel Walker is "an absolute failure of our system, an absolute failure. Apprehending him and putting him in custody will not bring my son back but it will save other lives."