Charles Thomas Walker was born on 28 April 1940 in Fayetteville, Illinois. His childhood was marked by family instability and alcohol abuse. His parents divorced when he was young, and both his biological father and stepfather were alcoholics. Walker himself was introduced to alcohol at a young age—his father gave him moonshine at age eight, and by age twelve, he was drinking in bars with his stepfather.

As a teenager, Walker’s behavior worsened. He dropped out of high school during his sophomore year and began committing petty crimes. At age 15, he was caught buying alcohol for a younger cousin and was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His criminal record escalated quickly. By age 17, he had been convicted of burglary and sentenced to over six years in prison. Following his release, he continued a cycle of arrests for burglary and armed robbery, each time returning to prison.

Walker’s life was also marred by personal tragedy and violence. In 1961, his father was fatally shot, and the killer served only two years behind bars. In 1969, Walker was involved in a drunken shootout with police, during which he lost his right eye. He later married a woman named Stella, but their relationship was volatile and plagued by his heavy drinking, ultimately ending in divorce.

On 18 June 1983, Charles Walker woke up in Mascoutah, Illinois, and began drinking beer and vodka. Later that day, he went fishing near Silver Creek in St. Clair County. While at the creek, Walker encountered a young engaged couple: 21-year-old Kevin Paule and 25-year-old Sharon Winker. The three chatted casually before Walker suddenly pulled a .25-caliber pistol on the couple and announced a robbery.

After taking Kevin’s wallet, Walker tied the couple to a tree using duct tape. When Paule told Walker that he knew who he was and would report him, Walker made the chilling decision to silence them. He shot Paule in the right temple and Winker in the back of the head, killing both execution-style. Walker then fled the scene with only $40 in cash.

Later that night, Walker went to the Runway Lounge, a bar near Scott Air Force Base. He drank more beer and socialized with the owner. After the bar closed and everyone had left, Walker pulled out the same gun and robbed the bar. The owner chased him, and during the getaway, Walker opened fire, hitting the owner's windshield. He escaped in the confusion of smoke from the crash.

Police recovered the murder weapon and items belonging to the victims from Walker’s abandoned vehicle. A manhunt began. Walker visited his half-sister, asked for a ride to the bus station in St. Louis, and boarded a bus to Tacoma, Washington. He later made his way to Walden, Colorado, where he reached out to a former girlfriend. She alerted authorities, and Walker was arrested on 16 July 1983.

On 27 July 1983, Walker pleaded guilty to two counts of murder. He opted for a jury trial to determine his sentence. The trial was swift—after just over an hour of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict. On 13 October 1983, Walker was sentenced to death.

In 1987, he voluntarily waived his right to further appeal. A year later, the Illinois Supreme Court confirmed that Walker was mentally competent to proceed with the execution. While on death row, Walker reportedly corresponded with fellow death row inmate and serial killer John Wayne Gacy, though they never discussed Walker's desire to die.

On 12 September 1990, Charles Thomas Walker was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center, becoming the first person to be executed in Illinois since 1962. His final meal was fried wild rabbit, biscuits, and blackberry pie. However, the execution process was botched. The lethal injection machine failed due to a kinked plastic tube, delaying the administration of the chemicals. Despite the malfunction, the execution was eventually completed.