Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - A former boxer makes a court appearance that some call "long overdue", in connection with the murder of a beauty queen in 1981.
Willie "The Cannon" Shannon made his first appearance in Nevada on Wednesday since being extradited from Manatee County, Florida, on murder charges.
A mother who's waited some 30 years to face her daughter's killer says this marks the closing of one chapter and the opening of another.
Eleanor Walker claims she's lived for three decades, believing one man was likely responsible for her daughter's death.
Now that Willie Shannon is in the state of Nevada, Walker says she's hoping he'll get a dose of what he deserves.
"I would like to be able to sit there and face him every single day, look right into his eyes and hope he reads my mind, like how could you be this evil," said Eleanor Walker, who buried her beloved daughter in 1981.
Her daughter, Jamey Walker, was kidnapped and held for ransom. The 18-year-old was a Clark High School graduate and was attending college at UNLV.
According to documents, Walker could have been an unintended target in the kidnapping. Some reports have speculated that she died while trying to escape her attackers.
Jamey Walker's body was discovered on Mother's day after falling almost 50 feet off a bridge at Lake Mead.
Her mother never got to say goodbye but holds on to some of her daughter's final words.
"She says you are the best and most wonderful mother in the entire world. There is nobody better than you. I thank god that I have these last words to remember," recalled Eleanor Walker.
Eleanor Walker believes if she had fallen apart, her daughter's case would've never been cracked. She says she's holding on to her undying love for Jamey as she tries to find the strength to see this case through.
"30 years of people telling me to give up to the point that I had to cut some of those people off," she said. "
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Walker says she's torn over what punishment she wants for Shannon if he's convicted. She believes he likely victimized many other women in the state and elsewhere. Some of whom, she believes never spoke up to the authorities.
The former boxer has been a prime suspect in the cold case for many years. It was new DNA evidence that allowed detectives to close in on him last year.
Shannon is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail. His preliminary hearing has been set for April 6th.
Police also believe two other people had a hand in Walker's abduction and murder.
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