Son of Stephanie Walford
Note: Adam was killed, at Emporia Kansas, by his stepfather Gurney Gerald (Jerry) Bartley.
Emporia Police Charge Father in Murder of Infant Boy Nine Years Ago
AP, Associated Press
Aug. 15, 1989 1:02 AM ET
EMPORIA, KAN. EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) _ A police detective haunted for years by the supposedly accidental death of a 17-month-old boy is resting easier since his reopening of the case led to the arrest of the boy's stepfather for murder.
The suspicious death of Adam Walford nine years ago was particularly troubling to Lt. Larry Adams because Adam was virtually the same age as his own son, David.
''I guess over the years I've always thought about Adam Walford never getting a chance to grow up and do the things David has done,'' said Adams, a 16-year veteran of the police force in the eastern Kansas town of Emporia.
On Aug. 19, 1980, Adam Walford died of severe head injuries suffered at his home. Despite indications of abuse, the death was ruled an accident.
A new investigation started by Adams led to the arrest Saturday of the boy's stepfather, Gurney Gerald Bartley. The 38-year-old truck driver posted $25,000 bond and was released on a charge of second-degree murder. Bartley is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Lyon County District Court.
Nine years ago, then-Sgt. Adams was one of two detectives assigned to investigate the child's death.
Bartley told detectives he was in the house with Adam when he heard a thud. He said the boy had fallen off a 3 1/2 -inch step in a doorway between two rooms. After Bartley telephoned for help, the boy was taken to a Wichita hospital where he died three days later.
Just a few days before, Adam had been taken to an Emporia hospital emergency room for an ankle injury. He also had numerous bruises, Adams said.
Police, a doctor and relatives all suspected the boy's injuries were not an accident.
But Sedgwick County forensics pathologist Dr. William Eckert somehow had been given a wrong description of Bartley's story. When he performed the autopsy, he ruled that Adam's injuries probably were caused by the type of accident he believed Bartley had described. The county attorney decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute and the case was closed.
Authorities would not say what description the pathologist was given because prosecutors plan to use it as evidence in the trial.
In 1986, Adams received permission to reopen the investigation. He reinterviewed dozens of people, including the boy's grandparents and mother, who was at work when the injury occurred. The mother, Stephanie Craver, subsequently divorced Bartley and remarried and now lives in Georgia.
''The entire family suspected abuse from the very beginning. I think that's what led to the divorce,'' Adams said. Craver has been ''very supportive and felt something had happened to her son, and did want the investigation open,'' he said.
Investigators also uncovered a new witness - a longtime friend of Bartley who told officers that Bartley told her he was disciplining Adam when the injury occurred.
Finally, Adams and Lyon County Attorney Rod Symmonds decided to view the boy's autopsy, which had been videotaped as a training exercise. It was something Adams had avoided doing the first time around.
''I just did not want to see a 17-month-old cut up,'' he said. ''I should have done it, though. That was my job.''
The viewing proved crucial, showing that Eckert had been given wrong information.
Adams contacted Eckert, and after reviewing the evidence the pathologist changed his mind. His new report blamed the boy's fatal injuries on an ''assaultive scenario.''
''I can't explain the feeling I got inside of me when he called it a homicide,'' Adams said. ''All these years, I knew it was a homicide, and now I had an expert forensic pathologist calling it a homicide.''
Armed with that report, confirmation from two other pathologists and the new witness, the county attorney decided to prosecute Bartley for second- degree murder.
''I'm just ready to put it to sleep and let Adam Walford rest,'' Adams said. ''I can just put this file someplace and not have to look at it again.''
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/Emporia-Police-Charge-Father-in-Murder-of-Infant-Boy-Nine-Years-Ago/id-b3fa73d203039a4c9c1c62e39c451153
GURNEY GERALD BARTLEY Only received a 4 year manslaughter sentence for killing this child.
https://kdocrepository.doc.ks.gov/kasper/search/results
Note: Adam was killed, at Emporia Kansas, by his stepfather Gurney Gerald (Jerry) Bartley.
Emporia Police Charge Father in Murder of Infant Boy Nine Years Ago
AP, Associated Press
Aug. 15, 1989 1:02 AM ET
EMPORIA, KAN. EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) _ A police detective haunted for years by the supposedly accidental death of a 17-month-old boy is resting easier since his reopening of the case led to the arrest of the boy's stepfather for murder.
The suspicious death of Adam Walford nine years ago was particularly troubling to Lt. Larry Adams because Adam was virtually the same age as his own son, David.
''I guess over the years I've always thought about Adam Walford never getting a chance to grow up and do the things David has done,'' said Adams, a 16-year veteran of the police force in the eastern Kansas town of Emporia.
On Aug. 19, 1980, Adam Walford died of severe head injuries suffered at his home. Despite indications of abuse, the death was ruled an accident.
A new investigation started by Adams led to the arrest Saturday of the boy's stepfather, Gurney Gerald Bartley. The 38-year-old truck driver posted $25,000 bond and was released on a charge of second-degree murder. Bartley is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Lyon County District Court.
Nine years ago, then-Sgt. Adams was one of two detectives assigned to investigate the child's death.
Bartley told detectives he was in the house with Adam when he heard a thud. He said the boy had fallen off a 3 1/2 -inch step in a doorway between two rooms. After Bartley telephoned for help, the boy was taken to a Wichita hospital where he died three days later.
Just a few days before, Adam had been taken to an Emporia hospital emergency room for an ankle injury. He also had numerous bruises, Adams said.
Police, a doctor and relatives all suspected the boy's injuries were not an accident.
But Sedgwick County forensics pathologist Dr. William Eckert somehow had been given a wrong description of Bartley's story. When he performed the autopsy, he ruled that Adam's injuries probably were caused by the type of accident he believed Bartley had described. The county attorney decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute and the case was closed.
Authorities would not say what description the pathologist was given because prosecutors plan to use it as evidence in the trial.
In 1986, Adams received permission to reopen the investigation. He reinterviewed dozens of people, including the boy's grandparents and mother, who was at work when the injury occurred. The mother, Stephanie Craver, subsequently divorced Bartley and remarried and now lives in Georgia.
''The entire family suspected abuse from the very beginning. I think that's what led to the divorce,'' Adams said. Craver has been ''very supportive and felt something had happened to her son, and did want the investigation open,'' he said.
Investigators also uncovered a new witness - a longtime friend of Bartley who told officers that Bartley told her he was disciplining Adam when the injury occurred.
Finally, Adams and Lyon County Attorney Rod Symmonds decided to view the boy's autopsy, which had been videotaped as a training exercise. It was something Adams had avoided doing the first time around.
''I just did not want to see a 17-month-old cut up,'' he said. ''I should have done it, though. That was my job.''
The viewing proved crucial, showing that Eckert had been given wrong information.
Adams contacted Eckert, and after reviewing the evidence the pathologist changed his mind. His new report blamed the boy's fatal injuries on an ''assaultive scenario.''
''I can't explain the feeling I got inside of me when he called it a homicide,'' Adams said. ''All these years, I knew it was a homicide, and now I had an expert forensic pathologist calling it a homicide.''
Armed with that report, confirmation from two other pathologists and the new witness, the county attorney decided to prosecute Bartley for second- degree murder.
''I'm just ready to put it to sleep and let Adam Walford rest,'' Adams said. ''I can just put this file someplace and not have to look at it again.''
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/Emporia-Police-Charge-Father-in-Murder-of-Infant-Boy-Nine-Years-Ago/id-b3fa73d203039a4c9c1c62e39c451153
GURNEY GERALD BARTLEY Only received a 4 year manslaughter sentence for killing this child.
https://kdocrepository.doc.ks.gov/kasper/search/results
Son of Stephanie Walford
Note: Adam was killed, at Emporia Kansas, by his stepfather Gurney Gerald (Jerry) Bartley.
Emporia Police Charge Father in Murder of Infant Boy Nine Years Ago
AP, Associated Press
Aug. 15, 1989 1:02 AM ET
EMPORIA, KAN. EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) _ A police detective haunted for years by the supposedly accidental death of a 17-month-old boy is resting easier since his reopening of the case led to the arrest of the boy's stepfather for murder.
The suspicious death of Adam Walford nine years ago was particularly troubling to Lt. Larry Adams because Adam was virtually the same age as his own son, David.
''I guess over the years I've always thought about Adam Walford never getting a chance to grow up and do the things David has done,'' said Adams, a 16-year veteran of the police force in the eastern Kansas town of Emporia.
On Aug. 19, 1980, Adam Walford died of severe head injuries suffered at his home. Despite indications of abuse, the death was ruled an accident.
A new investigation started by Adams led to the arrest Saturday of the boy's stepfather, Gurney Gerald Bartley. The 38-year-old truck driver posted $25,000 bond and was released on a charge of second-degree murder. Bartley is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Lyon County District Court.
Nine years ago, then-Sgt. Adams was one of two detectives assigned to investigate the child's death.
Bartley told detectives he was in the house with Adam when he heard a thud. He said the boy had fallen off a 3 1/2 -inch step in a doorway between two rooms. After Bartley telephoned for help, the boy was taken to a Wichita hospital where he died three days later.
Just a few days before, Adam had been taken to an Emporia hospital emergency room for an ankle injury. He also had numerous bruises, Adams said.
Police, a doctor and relatives all suspected the boy's injuries were not an accident.
But Sedgwick County forensics pathologist Dr. William Eckert somehow had been given a wrong description of Bartley's story. When he performed the autopsy, he ruled that Adam's injuries probably were caused by the type of accident he believed Bartley had described. The county attorney decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute and the case was closed.
Authorities would not say what description the pathologist was given because prosecutors plan to use it as evidence in the trial.
In 1986, Adams received permission to reopen the investigation. He reinterviewed dozens of people, including the boy's grandparents and mother, who was at work when the injury occurred. The mother, Stephanie Craver, subsequently divorced Bartley and remarried and now lives in Georgia.
''The entire family suspected abuse from the very beginning. I think that's what led to the divorce,'' Adams said. Craver has been ''very supportive and felt something had happened to her son, and did want the investigation open,'' he said.
Investigators also uncovered a new witness - a longtime friend of Bartley who told officers that Bartley told her he was disciplining Adam when the injury occurred.
Finally, Adams and Lyon County Attorney Rod Symmonds decided to view the boy's autopsy, which had been videotaped as a training exercise. It was something Adams had avoided doing the first time around.
''I just did not want to see a 17-month-old cut up,'' he said. ''I should have done it, though. That was my job.''
The viewing proved crucial, showing that Eckert had been given wrong information.
Adams contacted Eckert, and after reviewing the evidence the pathologist changed his mind. His new report blamed the boy's fatal injuries on an ''assaultive scenario.''
''I can't explain the feeling I got inside of me when he called it a homicide,'' Adams said. ''All these years, I knew it was a homicide, and now I had an expert forensic pathologist calling it a homicide.''
Armed with that report, confirmation from two other pathologists and the new witness, the county attorney decided to prosecute Bartley for second- degree murder.
''I'm just ready to put it to sleep and let Adam Walford rest,'' Adams said. ''I can just put this file someplace and not have to look at it again.''
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/Emporia-Police-Charge-Father-in-Murder-of-Infant-Boy-Nine-Years-Ago/id-b3fa73d203039a4c9c1c62e39c451153
GURNEY GERALD BARTLEY Only received a 4 year manslaughter sentence for killing this child.
https://kdocrepository.doc.ks.gov/kasper/search/results
Note: Adam was killed, at Emporia Kansas, by his stepfather Gurney Gerald (Jerry) Bartley.
Emporia Police Charge Father in Murder of Infant Boy Nine Years Ago
AP, Associated Press
Aug. 15, 1989 1:02 AM ET
EMPORIA, KAN. EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) _ A police detective haunted for years by the supposedly accidental death of a 17-month-old boy is resting easier since his reopening of the case led to the arrest of the boy's stepfather for murder.
The suspicious death of Adam Walford nine years ago was particularly troubling to Lt. Larry Adams because Adam was virtually the same age as his own son, David.
''I guess over the years I've always thought about Adam Walford never getting a chance to grow up and do the things David has done,'' said Adams, a 16-year veteran of the police force in the eastern Kansas town of Emporia.
On Aug. 19, 1980, Adam Walford died of severe head injuries suffered at his home. Despite indications of abuse, the death was ruled an accident.
A new investigation started by Adams led to the arrest Saturday of the boy's stepfather, Gurney Gerald Bartley. The 38-year-old truck driver posted $25,000 bond and was released on a charge of second-degree murder. Bartley is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Lyon County District Court.
Nine years ago, then-Sgt. Adams was one of two detectives assigned to investigate the child's death.
Bartley told detectives he was in the house with Adam when he heard a thud. He said the boy had fallen off a 3 1/2 -inch step in a doorway between two rooms. After Bartley telephoned for help, the boy was taken to a Wichita hospital where he died three days later.
Just a few days before, Adam had been taken to an Emporia hospital emergency room for an ankle injury. He also had numerous bruises, Adams said.
Police, a doctor and relatives all suspected the boy's injuries were not an accident.
But Sedgwick County forensics pathologist Dr. William Eckert somehow had been given a wrong description of Bartley's story. When he performed the autopsy, he ruled that Adam's injuries probably were caused by the type of accident he believed Bartley had described. The county attorney decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute and the case was closed.
Authorities would not say what description the pathologist was given because prosecutors plan to use it as evidence in the trial.
In 1986, Adams received permission to reopen the investigation. He reinterviewed dozens of people, including the boy's grandparents and mother, who was at work when the injury occurred. The mother, Stephanie Craver, subsequently divorced Bartley and remarried and now lives in Georgia.
''The entire family suspected abuse from the very beginning. I think that's what led to the divorce,'' Adams said. Craver has been ''very supportive and felt something had happened to her son, and did want the investigation open,'' he said.
Investigators also uncovered a new witness - a longtime friend of Bartley who told officers that Bartley told her he was disciplining Adam when the injury occurred.
Finally, Adams and Lyon County Attorney Rod Symmonds decided to view the boy's autopsy, which had been videotaped as a training exercise. It was something Adams had avoided doing the first time around.
''I just did not want to see a 17-month-old cut up,'' he said. ''I should have done it, though. That was my job.''
The viewing proved crucial, showing that Eckert had been given wrong information.
Adams contacted Eckert, and after reviewing the evidence the pathologist changed his mind. His new report blamed the boy's fatal injuries on an ''assaultive scenario.''
''I can't explain the feeling I got inside of me when he called it a homicide,'' Adams said. ''All these years, I knew it was a homicide, and now I had an expert forensic pathologist calling it a homicide.''
Armed with that report, confirmation from two other pathologists and the new witness, the county attorney decided to prosecute Bartley for second- degree murder.
''I'm just ready to put it to sleep and let Adam Walford rest,'' Adams said. ''I can just put this file someplace and not have to look at it again.''
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/Emporia-Police-Charge-Father-in-Murder-of-Infant-Boy-Nine-Years-Ago/id-b3fa73d203039a4c9c1c62e39c451153
GURNEY GERALD BARTLEY Only received a 4 year manslaughter sentence for killing this child.
https://kdocrepository.doc.ks.gov/kasper/search/results
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