A Rocky River man was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison after sexually abusing multiple children at a home daycare center.
A Rocky River man was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison after sexually abusing multiple children at a home daycare center. Conner Walker, 21, pleaded guilty to multiple charges: sexual exploitation of children, attempted exploitation of children, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Bridget Brennan called Walker’s crimes “horrifying” and said he is “an extreme danger to the community.” He also praised the FBI’s swift investigation and believes their intervention prevented other children from becoming victims.
In January 2024, federal investigators were contacted about child sexual abuse material by a “reliable foreign partner.” The disturbing images depicted a toddler who closely resembled a child seen in a Cleveland family’s Facebook photos. Investigators contacted the child’s mother and she identified her then two-year-old daughter as the victim.
Tonya Ball operates the Parma Heights in-home daycare center and told investigators that two adult men were present. One of them was Walker, a friend of Ball’s son, who “frequently slept over.”
Walker’s cellphone contained 2 photos and 4 videos of the toddler, as well as 1,160 images and 230 videos of additional child sexual abuse material. He recalled one evening during the fall of 2023 when the child walked into the bathroom as he got out of the shower. He “instructed her to open her mouth before assaulting her” and recorded the attack for two minutes, according to court records.
Conner Walker shared the horrific footage with multiple people through an encrypted messaging app called "Session." Investigators found that Walker was involved in numerous "Session" chats that distributed child sexual abuse material. The Australia-based app is “marketed as a privacy-first messaging platform that allows users to communicate anonymously,” according to police.
During the hearing, Walker addressed the families of the victims: “Even though I did something horrible, I am not a horrible person.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer King noted that investigators found clear evidence that Walker was trying to find a fourth victim at the time of his arrest.
“The variety of ways in which he was trying to abuse and take advantage of young children had no limit,” King said.
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
