Three victims' rights advocates have filed complaints with the state concerning Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kenneth Walker's behavior during a domestic abuse sentencing hearing.



On Jan. 29, Dana Parks appeared in Walker's courtroom to deliver a victim's impact statement she had prepared for the sentencing of her ex-boyfriend, who had pleaded guilty to felony assault IV, attempted assault and coercion. It was the second time he had been sentenced for assaulting her.



But while Parks attempted to read her statement, Walker interrupted three times and ultimately walked out of the courtroom without allowing her to finish, according to a recording of the hearing.





Complaints about Walker's actions were filed with the Oregon Judicial Fitness Commission over the last few days by Anne Pratt, vice president of Crime Victims United; Mary Elledge, Portland chapter leader of Parents of Murdered Children; and Danielle Tudor, a rape survivor and victims advocate.

Such complaints are generally confidential, but the three women released theirs to the public.



"If Judge Walker's actions are not challenged and addressed, we risk setting a precedent for future victims that they can expect to be interrupted, treated with contempt and disrespected," Tudor wrote in her complaint. "Judge Walker publicly demeaned Ms. Parks in the presence of her abuser and, in so doing, minimized the crime of domestic violence, whether he intended to or not."

Walker said he had received no notice of the complaints that were filed and could not speak to them. But he did say that during Parks' statement, he did not intend to upset her.

"After listening to the tape, I could have been, I think, a little more courteous to Miss Parks, but I was thinking in my own mind that I was redirecting her to say things that would have an impact on the court," he said. "I wanted her to talk about how she felt and what impact it had on her and what impact it was going to have on her future and how the crime she affected her. And each time that she went off, talking about what her friends were writing on Instagram or what charges that were not before us or saying something about the defendant's mother, I thought (those) were inappropriate comments and I thought I was trying to redirect her."

At one point during her statement, when she began to describe an alleged sexual assault – for which her boyfriend had never faced charges – Walker had cut Parks off by saying, "I don't want to hear that."

"I probably should have said 'Ma'am, that's not appropriate, would you please direct your comments more directly to the issues of how you felt.' The words that I used, I think, certainly, could have been changed," Walker said. "And it was a reminder, to me, that this is the most important day of her life, and she's been struggling to get up in public and say something. ... I think all judges should be reminded that even though we do a lot of cases and it's pretty routine for us, we must consider in every case that it is the most important thing happening in that person's life, and 99.9 percent of the time I do, I think."



All three complaints claim Walker violated the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct which states, in part:





A judge shall not engage in conduct that reflects adversely on the judge's character and competence temperament or fitness to serve as a judge.

A judge shall accord to every person who has legal interest in a proceeding the right to be heard according to the law.

"I have been a victim advocate for over 18 years, held many hands in the courtroom as the victim readies themselves to face the court and the accused. I have never experienced this kind of disrespect for a crime victim," Pratt wrote. "It is outrageous behavior, unbecoming of a judge and an action that ultimately re-victimizes an already very wounded victim. If this judge were to act similarly towards a defendant while they were giving an allocution under identical circumstances, the sentence would likely be reversed."

Tudor was 17 when she was raped in 1979 by serial rapist Richard Troy Gillmore. There were no victims rights laws when her offender was sentenced, so she didn't have the opportunity to give an impact statement. But in 2010, she was able to speak at Gillmore's parole hearing.

Her statement lasted close to an hour, she said.

Parks' statement took about 20 minutes to read.

"There is a healing process that takes place when you get to speak your truth," Tudor said.

The Oregon Crime Victims Law Center has filed a request for a new sentencing hearing on Parks' behalf, and has also filed a claim of violation of crime victims' rights because Parks has a Constitutional right "to be heard at the pretrial release hearing and the sentencing."

A show cause hearing for the motion is scheduled for March 30.

"And if Miss Parks wants to make an additional (victim's impact) statement, I will allow her to do that," Walker said.

-- Samantha Swindler

@editorswindler / 503-294-4031

sswindler@oregonian.com