COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Cook County judge on Thursday sentenced Alisha Walker to 15 years in prison in the 2014 murder of Al Filan, a longtime Brother Rice High School teacher.
Walker, 23, was convicted in January of second-degree murder following a brief jury trial. Cook County Judge James Obbish announced the 15-year sentence Thursday.
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Walker was working as a prostitute when she fatally stabbed Filan 14 times inside his Orland Park home in January 2014. Filan had arranged a sexual encounter involving another woman through the website BackPage.com.
Defense attorney Patrick O'Byrne claimed Walker was acting in self-defense after Filan was denied a threesome and unprotected sex, and then allegedly got rough with Walker. A medical examiner said Filan's blood alcohol content was .208, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
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Prosecutors during the trial slammed the defense, calling Walker a liar and "master manipulator."
Assistant State's Attorney Christa Bowden pointed out that Walker wasn't cooperative when she was first interviewed by police in January of 2014. But in an interview five hours later, Walker told officers that Filan attacked her and was still alive when she left his house.
"What exactly is she doing for those five hours?" Bowden asked. "She's coming up with her story. ... It's like a script. She's getting ready to go. She's ready to spin this."
When the verdict was announced in January, O'Byrne said this is "the end of a tragedy. ... It was a difficult case. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of the Filans."
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