I Am a Killer Season 6 puts five true crime cases in the spotlight, but Episode 3 – centering on the case of Walter Triplett Jr – has sparked a particularly busy discussion among Netflix viewers.
The anthology documentary series debuted in 2018, initially featuring interviews with death row inmates. However, the format has changed over time to include prisoners who had been locked up on murder or related charges.
Convicted killers Candie Dominguez and Daniel Lopez are explored in the first two episodes of I Am a Killer Season 6, which landed on the streaming service on Wednesday (January 8).
The next episode, ‘Defense of Another’, takes us from Texas to Ohio, where we hear from a man who’s been imprisoned for the past 15 years, and the impact it’s had on his twin sister. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
The case of Walter Triplett Jr explained
The case of Walter Triplett Jr has left viewers “conflicted,” but to understand why, you first need to know the details. In the episode, Walter himself explains that he had troubles during his upbringing, which led him to get into drugs.
Although he was arrested on a number of occasions, Triplett decided to turn his life around in 2009 when he became a father. By the age of 27, he’d enrolled in college and set up a business providing venue security.
One night in April 2009, he decided to go out with his twin sister Waltonya “Tonya” Triplett, his cousin Crystal, and her fiancé Woo-Woo. A fight broke out at the bar they were at and so they decided to leave, but the fight followed them.
Things came to a head when Walter saw two men surrounding his sister. He punched both of them to the ground, and while one of them regained consciousness, the other – Michael Corrado – didn’t get up.
Michael was rushed to hospital but died 18 hours later. Walter had been arrested on the scene, and though there was insufficient evidence for a murder charge, he was placed on trial for involuntary manslaughter in September 2009.
Of the 12 jury members, 11 were white. According to Walter’s mother Mary Triplett, the prosecution “portrayed my son like an animal.” But for Mary, “the judge was the worst.”
“She would make little comments every time the prosecutor would say something and it seemed like it was a good point, she would look at us and say, ‘Can’t come back on that one,’” she says. “Lady, you’re supposed to be sitting up there being impartial.”
During the first trial, the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision of manslaughter and so Walter was found guilty of felonious assault. The judge gave him the maximum sentence of 18 years.
In February 2011, Walter appealed the decision and was given a new trial. However, this time he was up against the same judge and an all-white jury, and was found guilty on all charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
The judge gave him the maximum sentence of 20 years.
I Am a Killer Season 6 Episode 3 leaves viewers divided
While some viewers argue that Walter deserves such a lengthy sentence, others believe he’s a victim of prejudice.
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Taking to the true crime show’s subreddit, one asked, “Anybody else feel so conflicted about the Walter episode?”
Another replied, “I didn’t like the way the prosecutor was talking… made me feel like Walter and his family were on to something. Especially when he said that people pull the race card out as a last ditch effort. Absolutely rubbed me the wrong way and hard.”
“I really winced when he said that. Like, bruh. You’re supposed to be above that,” a third responded.
“Whether he wishes to acknowledge it or not, this is America, and the case involved a black man against a group of white people. Come on now.
“In order to contradict Walter’s claim of racism, he could’ve just explained what evidence he thought made the jury convict him, without sounding like a garden-variety… racist.
“I am left wondering what happened during the jury selection, though. There was no way to get a more mixed jury? In Cleveland? (Yeah, I know juries are pulled from the county, not just the city, but still.)”
Demonstrating the divide regarding the crime itself, one person said, “Yeah he’s not a cold blooded killer at all,” to which a second replied, “No. But he killed a man. Purposely or not. You still have to take responsibility.”
Another viewer pointed out the CCTV footage that was played in the Netflix docu-series, which showed Tonya was attacked and Walter ran over to help her.
“I felt like the video (while grainy) 100% corroborated Walter’s statement. He was not the instigator, he ran over when they were on his sister,” they said.
“And he didn’t strangle the guy or kick him after he was down or use a weapon, he threw one punch. A super hard punch based upon how the guy flew but I don’t think the punch killed him per se but his head hitting the pavement.
“Walter should have been convicted of something because his response was probably excessive but that sentence does seem extreme.”
But another commented, “I think if he hadn’t had multiple violent offenses on his record, he would have gotten off. But then the guy who died might not have been involved at all.
“Could have been just standing there, wrong place, wrong time. Walter could have protected his sister without immediately whaling on whoever he came into contact with.”
I Am a Killer Season 6 is streaming on Netflix now. For more true crime news, read about if there’ll be a Natalia Grace Season 4, when to expect the new Ruby Franke docu-series, and our thoughts on the Jerry Springer doc.