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A Bartlesville man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for his role in the 2022 murder of a Dewey couple.

22-year-old Lucas Anthony Walker was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder in Indian Country after he confessed to shooting and stabbing Deborah and Larry Dutton to death in 2022.

In January 2023, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies began investigating the disappearance of the Duttons. After searching the Dutton’s home, deputies found Deborah and Larry deceased in a shallow grave in the backyard. Walker confessed to shooting and stabbing Deborah and stabbing Larry to death.

Walker is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

His girlfriend, Heidi Dutton, who is the granddaughter of the victims, is being prosecuted in state court. She is facing two counts of first-degree murder, one count of conspiracy, and two counts of desecration. Her case is pending in Washington County District Court.