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How far would you go to save the life of your child? This is the question that haunts the Kim Walker story as we follow the twists and turns of a gripping real life drama on W5. Kim Walker, left, and Jadah Walker, right, are seen in this undated image. Kim Walker's daughter, Jadah, was the apple of his eye. James Hayward is seen in this undated image. James Hayward's brother is seen speaking to Lloyd Robertson, the W5 host and chief. Kim Walker sits down with Lloyd Robertson for an interview with CTV's W5. Jadah Walker, left, is seen with her son in this undated image. Police are seen outside of Hayward's house in Yorkton, Sask., on March 17, 2003. Lloyd Robertson appears on Canada AM, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. Kim Walker sits down with Lloyd Robertson for an interview with CTV's W5.

W5: How far would you go to save your child?

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W5: Murder for love, part one
How did a good student, someone who always listened to her parents get involved with a drug dealer in Yorkton, Saskatchewan? How far did Jadah Walker's father go to save the teenage girl and could the police have done more?
W5: Murder for love, part two
Jadah talks about how she became involved with James Hayward; a friend of hers recalls how Jadah went from being a beautiful girl to skin and bones and hooked on drugs. Hayward's brother shares a different perception of his brother from the drug dealer he was known as.
W5: Murder for love, part three
In 2003 Kim Walker, the father of Jadah drove to his daughter's boyfriend -- James Hayward's home -- and shot him to death. Walker felt he had no other way of protecting his daughter from her drug-dealing boyfriend.
W5: Murder for love, part four
Kim Walker was first charged with a murder conviction, which was later reduced to manslaughter. Years later Jadah refers to her father as a hero meanwhile Hayward's family has a totally different view of Walker and the justice system.

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How far would you go to save the life of your child? This is the question that haunts the Kim Walker story as we follow the twists and turns of a gripping real life drama on W5. Kim Walker, left, and Jadah Walker, right, are seen in this undated image. Kim Walker's daughter, Jadah, was the apple of his eye. James Hayward is seen in this undated image. James Hayward's brother is seen speaking to Lloyd Robertson, the W5 host and chief. Kim Walker sits down with Lloyd Robertson for an interview with CTV's W5. Jadah Walker, left, is seen with her son in this undated image. Police are seen outside of Hayward's house in Yorkton, Sask., on March 17, 2003. Lloyd Robertson appears on Canada AM, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. Kim Walker sits down with Lloyd Robertson for an interview with CTV's W5.

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How far would you go to save the life of your child? This is the question that haunts the Kim Walker story as we follow the twists and turns of a gripping real life drama on W5.

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If the government wouldn't or couldn't do anything, what was he suppose to do? More importantly, what would you do?

Jo-Anne Vienneau

W5: How far would you go to save your child?

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W5: How far would you go to save your child?

Date: Fri. Feb. 10 2012 8:44 PM ET

How far would you go to save the life of your child?

This is the question that haunts the Kim Walker story as we follow the twists and turns of a gripping real life drama on W5.

From the time the middle-aged welder first learned his daughter, Jadah, was involved with the most prominent drug dealer in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, he was a worried man.

Jadah was the apple of his eye. He and his wife Liz treasured those times when she told them how much she loved them and how important they were in her life. No daughter could have been more perfect in their eyes. What a shock then when everything suddenly changed.

Jadah became a mocking, ill-tempered, foul-mouthed teenage nightmare. They hoped she was just going through "a stage" and would get past it, but their solid small town prairie values could not have prepared them for how bad it would get.

The beautiful girl, whose charm and personality had captivated all who met her, was transformed into a wild party girl, always looking for a good time with boys and drugs as part of the scene. When she met James Hayward, the magnetic attraction was immediate. Hayward couldn't resist the appeal of this seductive and freewheeling young woman and, to Jadah, he was a big man about town.

Hayward's house was a popular hangout for local teens, he knew how to make everybody feel welcome and his never-ending drug supply was the news on the street for miles around. Hayward fell hard for Jadah and, to the wrenching dismay of her mother and father, she moved in with him just after her 16th birthday.

The desperate parents pleaded with the local RCMP detachment in Yorkton to rescue their daughter, who by then was stoned on morphine most of the time and wasting away. They worried she was dying and felt swift action was required. The police later claim they did all they could within the law. But did they?

The Walkers finally got Jadah admitted to a mental health facility for 72 hours, but she refused to stay longer and authorities could not hold her. An hour after her release she was back with James Hayward.

At this stage, her father took the law into his own hands. He drove to Hayward's house and on St. Patrick's Day in 2003, Yorkton was stunned as shots pierced the calm of a March afternoon and tragedy struck two families. Hayward was dead, Kim Walker's wife and family were in shock and the lines were drawn between the many who felt Walker had no choice given the circumstances and those who regarded him as a cold blooded killer.

We follow the many threads of this story: Walker's trials that end, in the first case with a murder conviction and on appeal reduced to manslaughter; the actions of the police and why they didn't move on Hayward when they had knowledge he was dealing drugs; and we hear from the victim James Hayward's brother, Dan, who tells us about his relationship with his older brother and the deep sense of loss felt by his own family as he chillingly reveals his feeling that "Kim Walker got away with murder."

We also speak with Kim Walker inside the Regina Correctional Facility; we hear from Jadah's former best friend, Jessica, who became so entangled in the drama between Jadah and her boyfriend, James, she chose to flee Yorkton after the horror; and we meet Jadah's long-suffering mother, Liz, as she explains the turmoil she has had to endure.

As for the young woman at the centre of it all: Jadah Walker now has a family of her own. How far would she go to protect her precious and precocious three-year-old boy? She'll tell us. It is sure to leave us contemplating the key question on which this tragic tale turns.

Comments are now closed for this story

Perplexed
said

Kim has more courage than me. I would have been a snake in the grass and ended "whats his names", (see forgotten already) life with the hope of not being caught. He was a drug dealer, the police dropped the ball and forced the dad to end the downward spiral.Similar in my hometown in the Okanagan. 30,000 population and a large majority can name more than 10 prominent drug dealers who continue to ply their trade. Some for more than 20 years. Apparently the police are selective in the duty to uphold the law.


Mark in Newmarket
said

When it comes to Parents and their children, that unconditional love, that kind of love that can only from ones mother or father is unbreakable and no matter how good or how bad your children are, you as a parent will do absolutely anything in your power for that child. Sure, there is different kinds of love, tough love, protective love etc., but even if your children are in this kind of a situation you will even go as far as giving up your own life for your child. As for those who have not yet had children, you won't quite understand this unconditional love until that very second when your baby is born and put into your arms. From that point on, you will want to love, protect and do everything for that child.


AZCND
said

I disagree that he took a life of another. I'm not saying that he doesn't have any morals. I don't think you should choose if this person should die or not. Yes, Hayward was dispicable and a person of crime. We should not take the law into our own hands. If its okay to say that he saved many, YES, but if people saw this. The crime rate will go up and abuse the justice system. No one is perfect. But killing or violence is NEVER OR EVER the answer to ANY solution.


John in Edmonton
said

Did the right thing. That took some real courage knowing the consequences of his actions.


Nora
said

Sometimes as in this case humans are getting caught in their Human rights (too much rights). This man is innocent in my point of view....


Bob in PEI
said

Being a father, I can understand extreme actions considered and taken to protect a child. At the same time, taking another's life is an extreme that most would find morally unacceptable. The situation into which this father was pulled was not one of his making. None of us truly knows what we would do until actually faced with one similar. This father made his choice and was prepared to live with its consequences. On the other hand, at 16, the daughter knew right from wrong and knew the trouble she brought into her family's life. It is she, more than anyone, who must now live with her choices and their results. I pray for her.


tex
said

I would do exactly what Kim would have done. All cancers must be dealt with.


Marc in Ottawa
said

Just a step back here, how long had this drug dealer been known to authorities ? had there been complaints ? and if yes what was done ?This tragedy may simply never have happenned in the first place .


peter in mb
said

All I will say is if the law dose not take matters like this seriously and uphold the Law. Then One has no choice but to take the law into their own hands and should have that right. After all we the people wrote the laws, why are the spirit of the laws not being enforced. Drug dealers are Criminals who are braking the law. Why do Criminals have more rights then law abiding citizens?


GUTSHOT!! in Thunder Bay
said

Family Day should be now known as Kim Walker day.


The Proud Albertan
said

They got the wrong guy - he was with me the whole time - and I'm sure I can find a hundred and fifty other fathers to corroborate that.


Kevin F
said

Everyone is praising the father for premeditated murder. And no one is questioning how his daughter, under his care, had become a foul mouthed, mocking, rebellious, promiscuous 16 yr old runaway. The drug dealer wasn't the cause of the problem. The article made it clear the daughter was already a problem before she met the drug dealer. Don't react emotionally to the story without considering ALL the facts.


Mo
said

To @DP, I completely agree with you. This man commited premeditated murder. Before anyone suggests I don't know how I would react in such a case, I do know. I had an eerily similar situation with my daughter. I did not shoot anyone. I did my best to maintain a relationship with her let her know I would help if she ever called. She did and years later is a productive member of society. The young man who was killed has not had an opportunity to do so.


mining guy Jim
said

@DP...sorry, I just have to. So 1. He was a bad Dad? and the fact that her boyfriend was a drug dealer gets second place? Smarten up. This issue is WAY beyond pointing fingers at parents. As far as your second comment goes, murder is murder? The Canadian Government has paid me and boys and girls like me to keep you safe from people like that. I've dropped the front blade sight on a few. Does that make me a redneck? You silly person.


janfromnorthvan
said

AS much as I hate what happened I do not think it is fair to accuse the family of poor parenting skills out of hand. In today's culture this is not usually the case. When drugs are involve the entire personality of a teen/person is incredibly changed for the worse. I blame the police for sitting on their hands when they had more than enough grounds to arrest this guy keep him in lock up and give the family time to rescue their daughter and get her safely away.


Craig from NS
said

@DP - You blame "bad parenting"? I know a family where one brother is a three time convicted drug dealer and the other brother is a member of the RCMP. I know another family where one brother was convicted and jailed for armed robbery while the other brother went through RCMP training and is now a Customs Officer. Both families were middle class. One brother went bad and one brother went good. By your logic the parent's should be blamed because someone made bad choices in life? There are many examples of good parents having bad kids and bad parents having good kids. Your blanket condemnation shows how ridiculous you sound.


Shoeman1975
said

I would have done the same thing without hesitation.Drug dealer preying on the youth deserved what he got.It's sad for his own family to have to go through this, but if they knew what he was involved with, then they had to know this was coming.


John
said

Well done to a good father. Authorities are baiting vigilantie traps all over Canada by allowing dealers, grow ops and general dirt bags to do their business with impunity all Canada. I guarantee nearly everyone has DIRECT knowledge of one or more of the above. When something finally gives and basic defence of ones family or community takes over it's a crime. The intelligence value of drug dealers, neighbourhood grow ops and thugs is lost when everyone knows so arrest them and deal with them harshly or someone will. The authorities share blame in this case.


Zane
said

These situations have been happening for a long time , but to my knowledge, this is the first time a parent has killed a person to try and rescue and protect their child. If I were in this situation, I would probably have done the same thing. Justice is not always in a court of law. Unfortunately, this man will probably go to prison for a very long time as he premeditated the act. I feel that society does not value family as it once did and that is part of the decay of our values.


John Lethbridge
said

I likely would have done the same, and with the full expectation that I would be sitting out the next 20 years in jail. Kim Walker called the cops himself - he knew what was coming. He doesn't deserve a medal - the jail sentence is appropriate, and most likely what he was expecting.


Brian Fr Langley
said

What a conundrum we've put ourselves in. How many times do read folks on this post say "why don't their parents no where their children are"? Well even if you know where they are and you're not happy about it what options do you have? Force a kid home (sometimes even as young as 12) and you may yourself get charged with assault. You can't grab them off the street, you can't ground them (if they won't comply) and you're not allowed to use corporal punishment (spank them) The Police can't do anything either, (unless they actually commit an arrestable offence) So what can you do? Wring your hands, worry yourself sick, and wonder how we let the left wing loonies talk us into this crap.


John
said

He is a Hero. A Real Father. A Good Man. I support his actions, and his choice. One less currupt, lying, useless, system scamming scum bag on the street to ruin more lives.


MikeW
said

It's a shame he had to go to jail in order to protect his family. The police should be held accountable for their inaction on someone breaking the law@DP get a life


bob
said

is this considered an "honer killing" ? was there any proof that this girls life was in danger or was the father trying to protect the "honer" of his small town values ? just something to think about.


Original Canadien
said

@ DP. If my own kid started doing /dealing drugs, he'd face MY wrath. I would still go after the one(s) who got him into it as well.There is no excuse for dealing/doing drugs. none. It is worst than murder as it creates dependance and destroys a person's brain/personnality.


Ben
said

@DP, I am not not condoning the action of murder, but the lines become fuzzy in these situations as far as I am concerned. I hope I would have taken a better action in this case, but as a young father, I can also say that I would do what it took to prevent a person doing evil from dragging my son into it. Further, it is not for you to comment on his parenting skills, you don't know him or his family, and nor do you have any real insight into their day-to-day lives.


true canadian
said

Now what if said drug dealer was a cop? What then? Would he be congratulated like he is now despite said cop breaking the law and harming his family? Would he get jail or would he be awarded a medal? It is interesting that people in this instance are blaming the police for not doing enough, but how can they when we make them do irrelevant child pornography raids that only seizes old irrelevant family photo albums and a couple of cartoons? How can they be at two places at once? If they spend all their time doing such things or giving out tickets, what room do they have to go after REAL criminals?


Paul
said

I cannot believe anyone would stick up for that slimy drug dealer. I have a daughter, and if someone tried that crap with her, I would "dexter" them.


Robert B
said

He did what he had to do, his parenting skills were right on!!!! Just another drug dealer gone by the wayside, I would have done the same thing...


Stuart
said

Good for him. I'd do the same.


joe canada
said

DP you are missing the point. He did go to jail, he is serving time for his actions, but he is still a hero. How many other lives may he have possibly saved by disposing of this death peddler? We send our youth to other countries to kill to protect against tyranny, he just did it at home.


'Rights'
said

Those making disparaging remarks about the police are being disingenuous because the mandate of the police is to step in when the law is broken and they have evidence to support stepping in. The police are NOT baby sitters for your kids. There may be other agencies that intervene in juvenile cases but remember we make choices and all these rights people whine about have to be upheld. I doubt this daughter would have wanted intervention as she made a choice and was within her rights. Love that Charter of Rights & Freedom.... it's done more to mess up this country than you could possibly imagine. Freedom doesn't mean a lack of responsibility.


casual observer
said

To @DP.... I hope you are never put to the test.


Andy Adams
said

In a war, there is death. To protect society from this pernicious evil, radical methods are required. If you are a drug dealer you do not get protection from the concept of the rule of law. You the drug dealer are the destroyer of the rule of law. Your death is preferable and required. It may seem like an oversimplification of the issue but the evil of the social impact of drugs is simply and totally bad.


DP
said

OK, so, to make up for his lousy parenting skills, this guy pre-meditatedely commits murder, and robs another parent of her (admittedly gone wrong) son, and you rednecks think he should get a medal?Murder is murder. If you think it's OK to commit murder to "save" your own, you should be willing to accept the consequences, and go to jail for it.


Anne
said

A desperate father - a police force with their hands tied - a twisted legal system that protects criminals and their rights and freedoms - and one that prevents parents from insisting on treatment of a drug addicted child if he/she doesn't want it, again because of some damned bizarre notion of rights and freedoms - no shock here at the result of this tragic story. Extreme yes. Justified? Unfortunately yes.


Jayman
said

This man is a hero. We should heap medals upon him so heavy that should not be able to stand. It may not be the popular view, but we need to take back our cities from those that would destroy our ways of life. I don't think vigilante mobs are the answer, but protecting scum and enabling them has to stop. I would have done the same thing. The courts need to reflect what society wants and needs. CHANGE. Stop protecting the bad guys.


Original Canadien
said

The guy should get the Order of Canada for his actions. And those "defending" the drug dealer should be investigated for aiding a criminal. Personnaly, I would have likely done the same except maybe more extended to include his supporters..


Will
said

If the lawyers hadn't corrupted our justice system, the very old common law defence (where a man must act when the authorities fail to do so) would have sufficed. I understand this man's action. In our society today, would you have the courage to act? When I was younger I was priviliged to meet Ernest A. (Smokey) Smith VC when he spoke to at-risk youth; he told them something very relevant: "you can do what is right, or the right thing. They are not the same."


mining guy Jim
said

Being the Father of 3, given all available information, I would have done exactly the same thing. Advise the Police that there was a problem and ask for their help. When none was forthcoming then direct action was needed. My hat is off to you Sir.


Shelley
said

I think he was pushed to take matters into his own hands. I have a teenage son and if he was involved with a drug dealer I would be furious and try anything to save him like this father did for his daughter. Why do police often say they can't do anything until it's too late? Whether it be a drug dealer or an abusive spouse, the police can't seem to do anything until something really bad happens. In this case they could have raided the drug dealers home and arrested him. The whole town knew what was going on in that house but yet the police chose to do nothing. Release this man and give him a medal for doing the right thing by his daughter. I can't wait to see the episode on W5, I will certainly be watching this one.


Mark
said

There was no murder here. This was pure justice, which our government has neglected. It's encouraging to see the comments here and that there are still Canucks who have a sense of right and wrong. "Justice" in the eyes of our police and courts is to be abused, do nothing about it and if the perp is ever caught, he gets a slap on the wrist and pays penalties to the State, with nothing for the victim.


Momma Bear
said

I am Momma Bear...and I would not HESITATE to do what this father. 'Nuf said. When my babies were born, it was my maternal oath to protect them at all costs...and it still is.


joe canada
said

A couple of years ago I was talking to a fairly high ranking rcmp officer and he said (off the record of course) that we need more people doing what this father has done. The canadian legal system is lacking to say the least and criminals do what they want as the police have their hands bound. This father is a hero and his daughter should be proud of his sacrifice for her.


Eye H8 Kommies
said

Walker should get a medal not a jail term! Once again, the cops fail in their duties and the citizen is left to protect his own and then get crucified for it. We need a whole lot more of this good old fashioned "prairie justice". If the "law" is not going to do its job, I guess the citizenry is going to have to.


Brad
said

F the dealer. He surely got what he knew was coming one day whether it be by the father or another low life. That's all part of that game they play and they know the risks.


Jo-Anne Vienneau
said

If the government wouldn't or couldn't do anything, what was he suppose to do? More importantly, what would you do?


FrustratedInNB
said

The dealer got what he deserved. The father did what he had to do. His daughter was important to him. When people of authority were asked to do something, they did nothing. Police is this country are nothing but a lackluster organization, who care about nothing other than obtaining a monthly quota. Hayward should have been locked away, but because the police neglected their duty, what they have taken an oath to do, a man, who could have been helped with treatment and jail time is dead.Let Walker go. His actions were just!


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