Trial under way for Youngwood man accused of raping teen girls

A Youngwood man was so detailed in his confession to alleged sex crimes against children he included his victim’s ages in a handwritten letter to his Westmoreland County Prison cellmate, according to evidence presented at trial Tuesday.

Jared Letosky told jurors during the first day of the rape and sexual assault trial of Darell Deisean Walker that he watched as his cellmate sat in his bunk and wrote out his story.

“Your client wrote it,” Letosky told defense attorney Tim Dawson. “I asked him to write it because I didn’t want to hear about him raping little girls.”

Walker, 23, is on trial for four separate cases in which he is charged with the sexual assaults of three teenage girls in late 2016. His alleged victims include a 13-year-old runaway from Greensburg he met via social media, and two other teens, including a 16-year-old who claimed she was raped by Walker during two encounters with him and his adult girlfriend.

Police originally arrested Walker in October 2016 and charged him with sex offenses in connection with the runaway. He shared a jail cell with Letosky, who was charged with aggravated assault. Letosky testified Walker initially told him about the allegations involving the 13-year-old girl and asked him to write out his story. It was not until he read the confession did he learn about two additional victims, Letosky told jurors.

“He put their ages at the bottom of the letter,” Letosky testified.

Letosky told jurors he pleaded guilty to lesser charges the same day he turned over Walker’s letter to police. Terms of his plea bargain had already been negotiated, although he ended up with a sentence longer than the originally proposed penalty. He served a one-to-two-year sentence in state prison, Letosky testified.

Dawson told jurors in his opening statement Letosky is a jailhouse informant and should not be believed. He also questioned the credibility of Walker’s accusers.

“He will tell you his side of the story, and he will tell you about the so-called confession,” Dawson said.

Assistant District Attorney Judy Petrush said Walker’s confession is sufficient to convict him, although each of his accusers will testify during the trial.

The runaway, now 16, testified Tuesday she first made contact with Walker via Facebook and Instagram posts and agreed to met him at her home and later in an alley, where they had sex.

The girl, who described herself as a straight A student, said her relationship with Walker started a few weeks before she ran away from home. During an FBI search for the girl, police said Walker was identified as someone who might know her whereabouts and eventually told authorities he had sexual relations with the teen, investigators testified.

The trial before Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani will continue Wednesday.