Have you ever wondered about the backstory of individuals who find themselves entangled in notorious legal battles? Behind every headline is a family history that often remains untold. Today, we’re shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of a widely publicized case: the parents of William Riley Gaul.
Who Are Riley Gaul Parents?
William Riley Gaul’s parents have kept their privacy. Also, only Benjamin Seth Donilon, Gaul’s stepfather, showed up for the court hearings. Additionally, we don’t know the names of William Riley Gaul’s birth parents.
Also, his parents’ divorce when he was young influenced him, making him more introverted. His mom married Donilon when he was in 11th grade, but their relationship didn’t last long.
At the same time, Donilon said he stayed in touch with Gaul even after he and the boy’s mom broke up. Also, the guy stayed with his stepdad for a while before moving in with his grandparents.
Donilon tried to talk to the teenager by texting a lot and setting up weekend hangouts. Also, Gaul had a key to his stepdad’s place and could go in and out whenever he wanted. When they looked into his girlfriend’s murder, Gaul’s mom helped the cops to make things right.
Also, his mom said she looked through the teen’s dorm room to find the murder weapon. In court, Donilon said Gaul and his girlfriend fought a lot. They often argued and broke up a lot. But after a big fight on November 21, 2016, Gaul decided to kill his girlfriend.
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What Caused Emma Walker’s Fatal Shooting?
Emma Jane Walker was only 16 when she died. She was a bright student and cheerleader at Central High School. Gaul and Walker started dating in 2014 when he was a junior and football player at Central, and she was a freshman.
💕🌚 pic.twitter.com/Y9A52n2AJj
— Emma✨ (@Emma_walker18) November 12, 2015
Their relationship had its ups and downs, and eventually, Walker’s parents tried to end it, as revealed in trial testimony. Two weeks before she was killed, Walker told her friends she was going to break up with Gaul for good.
During the trial, the prosecutors said Gaul went to Walker’s house and shot her twice while she was asleep in her bedroom. One of the bullets hit Walker in the head, and her mother found her dead in bed the next morning.
Gaul and his lawyer, Wesley Stone, admitted that he fired the gunshots that night. However, they claimed Gaul was attempting to win Walker back by using attention-seeking tactics, like faking his kidnapping and pretending to rescue Walker.
Riley Gaul Apology During Sentencing Hearing
After thinking for four hours, a jury found Gaul guilty of serious crimes like first-degree murder, stalking, felony murder, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment, having a gun during a dangerous crime, and stealing between $500 and $1,000. Gaul was 19 years old at the time.
In September 2018, Judge Bob McGee gave Gaul a life sentence for murder. Gaul can apply for parole after spending 51 years in jail. This means he could be released in his 70s.
Gaul, who didn’t speak in court during the trial, apologized to Walker’s family and his own for what he did. This happened during a hearing to decide his punishment for some other crimes linked to the shooting.
He got sentenced to a bit over ten years for those crimes, but since he’s already serving a life sentence, it doesn’t really change much.