Today, a Romanian man was charged with murdering Freda Walker (86), and attempted murder of Ken Walker (88).
Vasile Culea (33) was wearing a grey sweatshirt with grey jogging bottoms. A Romanian interpreter confirmed his name and address.
He was flanked by two security officers and he stood for the entire five-minute hearing, as a Nottingham Magistrates Court legal advisor read the charges.
According to them, he had attempted to kill Kenneth Walker on January 14th by killing Freda Walker.
Vasile Culea appeared before the court to be charged with Freda Walker’s murder and Kenneth’s attempted murder. (pictured at their Langwith Junction home, Derbyshire).
Callum Morris, the prosecutor for Culea said Culea had been charged with ‘the worst of crimes. As you know, this case must be heard by the crown court.
Simon Robinson, lead magistrate of Derby Crown Court ordered security personnel to ‘take him down. On Tuesday, he will appear next at Derby Crown Court.
A concerned neighbor found Freda and Ken in their semidetached homes last Saturday. Freda is a former Shirebrook Town councillor.
Freda was declared dead on the spot while her husband suffered life-threatening injuries. He is still in critical condition at the hospital.
Culea was taken into custody in Church Warsop in Nottinghamshire on Thursday morning. Culea was seen by police and forensic professionals outside of a local property.
Culea, 33, spoke through a Romanian interpreter to confirm his name, address and date of birth at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court. On Tuesday, Culea will be appearing at Derby Crown Court.
Culea was described on his Facebook as being from Oltenita in central Romania. He was taken into custody at his Nottinghamshire home, Church Warsop in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Church Warsop can be found just 3 miles from Langwith Junction, Derbyshire where the crime is said to have occurred.
Locals believe he was working at Shirebrook’s Sports Direct facility, also known as The Gulag because of its poor work conditions and large number of Eastern European employees.
Tynniel Lee (31), a housekeeper who saw him being arrested from her bedroom window. Culea said that Culea, who moved in with another Romanian family two years ago, had ‘kept herself to himself’ since then.
Freda Walker, an 86-year-old woman, is being investigated by the police along with Kenneth Walker, her 88-year old husband.
She said that she was awakened by the sounds of dogs barking and a loud bang. ‘When I looked outside, I saw around eight-to nine police officers, including some with dogs, at my house opposite.
“They knocked down the doors and two police officers in forensic suits came out to arrest the man, who was then handcuffed and was wearing a black tracksuit.
They put him into one of their vans and also removed his silver Audi.
“The police then closed the door and drove the other four persons out of the house. The whole process took approximately 45 minutes.
The couple left floral tributes outside their home. It is believed that the house was burgled.
She stated that the homeowners, all of them Romanians, had moved to the end-of-terrace property three years prior.
“A couple of middle-aged men moved into their home initially, and the son joined them along with his girlfriend. After that, she had a son.
“The man arrested was the only person else who was present. He was wearing the high-viz jackets of Sports World, which we refer to as Sports Direct.
“He was quite quiet, and would be himself.”
On his Facebook page, he states that he lives in Mansfield (Nottinghamshire) and is known as Vasy. He was seen last at Oltenita in 2015, his hometown, that is located on the banks the River Danube.
Derbyshire’s Assistant Chief Constabulary, with over 100 officers involved in the case, stated when the charges were filed: “I want to thank everyone who has come forward and supported this investigation so far.”
“This incident was a devastating blow to the Shirebrook community as well as the Langwith Junction area.
‘Our thoughts remain with the couple’s family and friends – and I, along with the whole of Derbyshire Constabulary, send our best wishes to Ken.
“While I believe today’s charges are positive and provide some relief, I want to remind everyone that the investigation continues into this incident and appeal for any additional information.
“In particular, detectives are still looking for anyone walking or driving along Station Road from 4.30pm Friday 14 January through 9am Saturday 15 Jan to make contact as quickly as possible.