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Woodmore Elementary Bus Driver Found Guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide After Fatal Crash

A jury has found former school bus driver Johnthony Walker guilty of criminally negligent homicide, following a 2016 crashthat killed six children.

Walker was speeding on a narrow, curvy road when his bus swerved into a tree. Walker testified he went only five miles per hour over the limit—but a police investigator testified, closer to twenty. The prosecution presented records indicating Walker used his phone just before the crash. Walker denied that. Some in the courtroom cried when a medical examiner described the elementary school children’s fatal injuries. Judge Don Poole thanked the jury, who deliberated for seven hours.

"Everyone who’s been here at this trial understands the difficulty of the task you were facing," Poole said.

The jury found Walker guilty on six counts of criminally negligent homicide, plus reckless driving and several other offenses. Sentencing is set for April 24. 

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