Two men involved in a marijuana deal wound up cooperating with police and helping to identify Spencie Walker as the man who allegedly shot and killed Stanley Boody.
Eye witnesses to Duluth's first homicide of 2008 provided police with several different versions of events in a drug deal gone awry on June 14. Boody and Walker were shot and the stories being told made it difficult to sort out who was a victim and who was a suspect, police said.
Duluth police Lt. Scott Drewlo estimated that officers conducted more than a dozen interviews and several re-interviews of witnesses to try to determine what led to Boody being killed, Walker being wounded, and a third man being pistol-whipped.
"We weren't really quite sure what we had at first,'' said Drewlo, supervisor of the investigative/major crimes bureau. "We had the scene telling us one thing, other victims telling us another and Walker telling us yet another story. We had all these conflicting pieces of information.''
Drewlo said Walker, 21, of Duluth told police that "some unknown, large black male came through the door [at 227 W. Third St., Apt. 3,] stood on the other side of the room and shot them both.''
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Walker's version of events gave police what they now believe to be a phantom suspect. Because of the phantom suspect and because of someone possibly seeking retribution for Boody's death, a police officer was placed at a local hospital 24 hours a day for the week Walker was hospitalized.
Late last week, after crime scene investigators studied the shooting scene, measured bullet trajectory, and broke down the interviews, they listened to two men who were involved with supplying the marijuana for the drug deal. The men pointed their fingers at Walker as the killer of Boody, Drewlo said.
Witnesses told police that Boody set up a marijuana deal. Walker showed up. He wanted the marijuana and he didn't want to pay for it. Witnesses said Walker brandished a .45-caliber semi-automatic. Drewlo said it was an off-brand of Spanish or Portuguese make. Police traced the firearm to Indiana.
"Spencie Walker shows up and commences with a drug rip[-off] and Boody winds up wrestling with him for the gun," Drewlo said. "That's where it's possible that Walker shot himself [in the chest] in the struggle.''
Witnesses said Walker also pistol-whipped a third man, who required hospital treatment.
