Another mistrial announced in the case of a Winchester man accused of child molestation | Winchester Starling

WINCHESTER – A jury failed to reach a verdict Thursday in the sexual abuse case of Hylton Matthew Walker – the third mistrial this year for the 60-year-old, who was accused of molesting three girls over a period of several years to have abused custody.

After three days of testimony from the alleged victims, investigators and Walker, the 12-member jury deliberated for more than four hours Thursday evening before returning to the courtroom at the Joint Judicial Center to inform Judge William Eldridge IV that they were not unanimous could achieve decision.

Walker is said to have abused three of his wife's granddaughters between 2013 and 2021. The children, now teenagers, said the majority of the abuse occurred between 2013 and 2017, but at least one incident is said to have occurred in 2021.

On Thursday, the jury deliberated on three charges – two counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of sexual penetration with inanimate objects – based on allegations made by one of the girls, who was seven years old at the time of the alleged abuse.

Walker has also been charged in several other cases related to the molestation of the other two girls and will go on trial on those offenses in October.

At trial last week, the girl, now 19, testified that Walker – who often watched the girls after school at his South Loudoun Street home while their parents were at work – showed her pornography and at one point ejaculated on her.

She also testified that Walker pulled down her pants and placed “his penis” on her butt while they sat on a couch in his living room.

“And I remember at that point I was kind of fed up with everything, so I stood up and told him that if he didn't leave me alone, I would tell my mom everything he had done,” she said. “He didn't say anything. He just went over to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and started cutting his arm.”

Walker has repeatedly denied the allegations. His attorney, Joseph Pricone, has accused Girls of making up the incidents as part of a plan by her grandmother to get revenge on Walker after she learned he wanted to write her out of his will.

In his closing argument, Pricone cited inconsistencies in the girls' statements, including contradictions about the details of the alleged incidents. He said that her statements had been “indicted throughout this trial” and that there was “little to no corroboration.”

The girls first came forward about the alleged abuse in August 2021, spurred by an incident earlier that year in which Walker allegedly attacked their cousin with a vibrator in his kitchen.

Pricone questioned the credibility of the account.

“She said that at the preliminary hearing the vibrator was six inches below the waistband of her buttocks. At the other hearing in April she said it was on her vagina and today she said it was in the inner crotch,” he said.

Pricone asked the jury to weigh the girls' statements with those of Walker, who he said cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation.

“He is honest about every single thing. It’s a credibility contest between two people and someone is telling the truth 100% of the time,” he said. “He doesn’t have a script. He’s authentic.”

Winchester Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Keith Buzby referred to the statement earlier in the trial by the head of the ChildSafe center who interviewed the girls. She said traumatic events can often cause children to have difficulty remembering certain details of the abuse.

He also spoke about the “unspeakable” abuse of power Walker exercised over the girls.

Buzby declined to comment after Thursday's mistrial because charges against Walker are still pending.

Walker was first tried on April 30, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges.

A second trial was canceled on May 23 when Pricone learned that former Winchester police detective Mala Bansal would not be available during the trial, although he had previously told jurors they would hear her testimony. He told the judge that he tried to subpoena her. However, Bansal had moved to Georgia shortly after retiring from the force in December and was not available.

In addition to the pending charges from the mistrial, Walker will also be in court Oct. 16-18 and Oct. 21-22 on charges related to the other incidents.