Arrest made in fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker

CEDAR RAPIDS — Two months after a mother of three was stabbed to death — and after social justice advocates repeatedly called for charges — a Cedar Rapids man was arrested Monday and faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and disorderly conduct in her death.

Shane Teslik, 37, was taken into custody in a different county in Iowa in connection with the Jan. 2 killing of Devonna Walker, 29. He will be transferred to Linn County in the coming days, a news release from the Linn County Attorney’s Office states.

A coalition of activist groups has been protesting regularly since the stabbing. On Feb. 16, the group put out a news release that named Teslik as Walker’s killer.

“Though the coalition has previously omitted Shane Teslik’s name, this shift is in loving solidarity with the family of Devonna Walker. It is unjust for his name to remain absent from factual reports while her name has been subjected to accusations and harmful stereotypes,” the groups wrote.

A video of the incident circulated on social media appears to show Walker, who is Black, arguing with Teslik, who is white, and another white woman. In the video, Teslik calls Walker a racial slur, and then a fight breaks out between the three of them, during which Teslik appears to stab Walker.

Police were called to the scene, in the 2100 block of North Towne Ct. NE, at about 6:45 p.m. Jan. 2, where they found Walker. She was transported to a hospital, but died from her injury.

If convicted, Teslik could face up to 10 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter charge.

“Regarding the public criticism of the investigation, I support the constitutional right of citizen and activist groups to express their concerns about the functioning of the criminal justice system,” Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said in a statement Monday.

“The decision to file these criminal charges was in no way influenced by any protest or ‘demand’ for arrest. It was solely based on our review of the facts of the case and the applicable law. To be abundantly clear, allowing public pressure or a public demand for arrest to influence the decision to file criminal charges would be highly inappropriate.”

Multiple protests have been held since the stabbing, including a town hall event during which a local lawyer discussed the possibility of Stand Your Ground laws being evoked in the case.

Monday’s release acknowledged that the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Linn County Attorney’s Office considered the possibility that Teslik would claim self-defense or defense of others, and that the possibility of those claims was part of the reason they felt more information was needed before an arrest.

“This included gathering witness statements and investigating the history between the parties, among other matters. This is a very typical approach to the investigation of criminal charges of the most serious nature. It should be noted that law enforcement and prosecutors not only investigate potential criminal charges but also likely defenses to the crimes, such as justification,” the news release stated.

The release also states that a referral was made to the FBI for consideration of a hate crime. But the FBI informed Cedar Rapids police the stabbing did not meet the federal criteria.

In the release, Maybanks acknowledged and rejected claims made by activist groups that the situation would have been handled differently if the racial roles had been reversed — if a Black person had stabbed a white person.

“These claims against the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Linn County Attorney’s Office are entirely unfounded. These claims are unnecessarily divisive. These claims serve only to foment distrust between law enforcement and prosecutors and the community we serve. We wholeheartedly reject these claims,” the statement read.

Tamara Marcus, a co-founder of Advocates for Social Justice, said Monday that the coalition of nonprofits is relieved to see the criminal charges brought against Teslik, but that they also want to acknowledge that nothing will bring Walker back.

“A human life was still taken at the hands of another person. We hope to see justice for Devonna’s family so they can at least feel an ounce of peace moving forward,” Marcus said in a statement.

She also acknowledged that activism can’t always directly affect the criminal justice system, but pointed out that there has been an abundance of communication from law enforcement about this case — likely because of the activism that took place.

“It isn’t typical for the county attorney to provide detailed personal updates about any particular case on county platforms, but our vocal and consistent interest and the community’s interest in this case provided a reason to do so, and we hope to see that transparency more often in the future,” Marcus said.

As part of the investigation, Maybanks consulted with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, which expressed that its opinion on the charges was consistent with Maybanks’ action.

Walker’s mother, LeSean Boles, told The Gazette after the town hall event that she wanted to see both Teslik and the woman from the video arrested.

“Everything about this is racism, and nothing’s happening. … I want justice for my daughter,” Boles said at the time.

“I’ve missed her, and most of all the kids have missed her,” Boles said. Walker had three children, ages 13, 7, and a newborn, now living with Boles

Cedar Rapids police turned its investigation over to the Linn County Attorney’s office on Jan. 13. Maybanks made a statement Feb. 3 saying he hoped to reach an arrest decision by the end of month.

“To be abundantly clear, our office and I, personally, am very aware of the disgusting, hateful and vile language that has been seen on a video that has been publicly accessible. The use of this language is being considered in this investigation, along with all of the other evidence and the law to which we are bound in the State of Iowa,” Maybanks said in his Feb. 3 statement.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com