Skip to main content

Convicted Murderer's Facebook Prison Party Photos

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on August 09, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Did you know that even Oklahoman murderers are on Facebook? The use of social media in prisons has even affected California's inmates. Facebook, however, has responded, and is now in the process of working with law enforcement to close these pages down.

One high-profile inmate that had a Facebook account was convicted murderer Justin L. Walker, who is in prison for murdering an Oklahoma sheriff.

His Facebook account had photos of him smoking a homemade bong while in prison, smoking a joint, holding a bottle of alcohol, and even had a photo of him holding a bag of weed. All of these photos were taken from prison, reports FOX23.

The photos are making their way onto the internet via a cell phone that was somehow smuggled into jail, according to FOX23. It's a felony to have a cell phone in the Oklahoma facility where Walker is imprisoned. After reports surfaced, Walker was moved and his cell was searched. Investigators discovered marijuana and a cell phone.

This trend is not just contained in one state. In California, inmates are also updating their Facebook accounts via smuggled-in smartphones, reports KGO-TV.

While some of the updates are rather mundane, California officials say that some inmates are actually using social media to plan criminal activities, which would be illegal despite the general lack of regulation over social media for prisoners.

One inmate, a convicted child molester, used social media from prison to get in touch with his now 17-year-old victim, according to KGO-TV. He accessed her Facebook page and looked at her photos, and even drew photos of her and sent them to her home address, according to NBC Bay Area.

Prisoner's rights groups say that social media is still an important way for inmates to connect with the outside world. Victim's rights groups, however, are agreeing with Facebook's new effort to shut down prisoner accounts.

Is having a murderer on Facebook acceptable - or legal? For California, inmates on Facebook may soon be seeing their accounts shut down. However, there are no specific laws that outlaw social media use for prisoners, though if they are using the Facebook to harass or plot criminal activities, they are certainly breaking the law behind bars.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard