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True Crime Friday: Albert Johnson Walker, the Rolex Killer


Image you are on a boat fishing in the English Channel. Your hook has caught a fish or what you think is a fish or a big catch. In 1996, a fisherman pulled the body of a man out of the water. There was no identification on the body. When reported to the police they believed they had a suicide case on their hands. But this case would prove to be full of twists and turns before bringing a killer to justice. The victim was wearing a 25-year-old Rolex watch with oyster casing, which would help the police solve the case and find the most wanted man in Canada. He was also the second most wanted man by Interpol at the time.

The Early Childhood of Albert Johnson Walker

I could not find any information regarding his childhood but his early life is quite interesting. He was a high school dropout. He worked odd low paying jobs until he managed to get hired as a bank teller for a savings and loan company. Walker eventually opened his own investment firm aptly named Walker Financial. In the beginning, the new company was very successful. Eventually, Walker Financial grew into a six-branch operation with about thirty employees. Walker invested in a stock deal that did not go well and the company collapsed under the weight of that decision. As a mortgage broker and financier, Walker defrauded about 70 Canadian clients of $3.2 million. Walker was charged in Canada with 18 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering. Knowing that he was in trouble he asked him wife if he could take one of their daughters on a trip with him. His wife and family did not know about the failure and fraud connected to his company. She agreed to let him take their middle daughter on the trip.

The Victims of Albert Johnson Walker

  • Ronald Platt
  • His Middle Daughter
  • His Wife and Other Daughters
  • 70 Canadian Clients

The Survivors of Albert Johnson Walker

  • His Middle Daughter
  • His Wife and Other Daughters
  • 70 Canadian Clients
Walker fled Canada with his middle daughter and made North Yorkshire his home. He posed as a successful business man using a fraudulent name David Davis. During this time, Walker presented his daughter to neighbors as his wife. Walker's daughter had two children by her father while posing as his young wife. During this time, Davis/Walker began a television repair business with Ronald Joseph Platt.

Platt was raised in Canada. He told his girlfriend that he wanted to move to Canada. She was not willing to stay in Canada so David Davis/Walker convinced Platt to move to Canada by himself. Walker paid for the trip for Platt to return to his native land. Somehow, Walker managed to secure Platt’s drive license and birth certificate and became Ronald Platt. Thinking that Platt would remain in Canada Walker began making a new life for himself under his new identity as Ronald Joseph Platt.

Lady Justice

Platt began to run out of money and he also decided that he did not want to live in Canada any longer. He missed living in North Yorkshire so he decided to return home. Platt returned to England where unbeknownst to him Walker was the new Ronald Platt. Obviously, there could not be two Ronald Platt’s so one of them disappeared.

July 20, 1996 Walker took Platt on a fishing trip. He murdered Platt and weighted him down with an anchor. He then proceeded to dump the body into the sea. The body was discovered two weeks later by John Copik who was a fisherman.

The Rolex watch had a serial number and was engraved with special markings every time it was serviced. The police contacted Rolex to determine how long the watch could stay underwater before going kaput. When given the information on the watch the Rolex Company stated that Ronald Platt was the owner of the watch. After contacting family and friends the police determined that Platt was the owner and also the victim of murder. The game was up for Walker who was later apprehended by authorities.

Walker was found guilty in 1998 for the murder of Ronald Joseph Platt. He received an automatic life sentence for murder in England. In 2005, Walker was transferred to Canada to begin serving his sentence for fraud. Additional charges were added and as of 2007, Walker is serving a life sentence in Canada. In February 2024, Walker was denied parole. Even though it was recommendation by Correctional Services of Canada that he be at least day paroled. His estranged family is afraid of him and fear for their lives if he is ever released from prison. If he is ever paroled, Walker is barred from working in the financial industry and from contacting his ex-wife/daughter and his victims.

Reference

Albert Johnson Walker - Wikipedia

The Rolex Murder: How police caught killer from a single clue - Plymouth Live

The Single Clue That Brought Down The Rolex Killer