‘We are at a tremendous loss’: As victims in fatal San Jose double stabbing are mourned, family speaks out
No suspect has been publicly identified in the slayings of 6-year-old Jordan Cam Walker and 71-year-old Delphina Turner
SAN JOSE, Calif. — As family members mourn the deaths of a young boy and his great-grandmother in a grisly double stabbing at their San Jose apartment earlier this month, key questions remain, the most pressing of which is: Who committed the killings?
Jordan Cam Walker, 6, and Delphina Turner, 71, were discovered dead at their Parkmoor Avenue apartment on the morning of August 4. Both were stabbed, according to San Jose police.
“We are at a tremendous loss,” Jordan’s grandfather, Morian Walker Sr., said in a phone interview with Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “We’re relying on the healing power of prayer, love, and support to get us through this.”
Turner’s memorial service was scheduled for Thursday at San Jose’s Cathedral of Faith. Jordan was to be remembered at Emmanuel Baptist Church in San Jose on Friday.
Jordan Cam Walker’s family will accept donations of flowers, sealed and store-bought food, and gifts at his public memorial beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, according to Morian.
“(Jordan) was just a joy,” said Morian. “Very smart, intelligent, witty, and daring.” He had a lively personality.”
Jordan’s athleticism and keen interest in sports were noted by Morian. Jordan excelled in basketball and enjoyed swimming growing up in a family of Division I college athletes.
“We as a family were looking forward to cultivating whatever sport that he wanted to pursue,” said Morian Walker Sr.
Jordan’s family plans to establish a foundation in his honor after he is laid to rest on Friday, according to Morian.
“There shouldn’t have to be another Jordan Cam Walker,” he explained. “I’m going to develop a program, a foundation, that will allow us to help other Jordan Cam Walkers.”
He stated that the planned foundation will include a sports and educational component, as well as services to assist families in the event of the loss of a loved one.
Meanwhile, authorities have released little information about the investigation into the killings, which appear to have occurred in a sprawling apartment complex with scores of neighbors nearby. No suspects have been identified publicly, and no arrests have been announced.
Police have refused to comment on the status of the investigation, but have suggested that the stabbings were not random, stating that there was no known threat to public safety based on the preliminary investigation.
The coroner’s office has formally identified Turner and confirmed she died as a result of stabbing injuries, but it has not publicly released Jordan’s name or cause of death. The first public acknowledgement of the child’s death appeared on a GoFundMe fundraising page run by Morian Walker Sr. As of Thursday afternoon, $11,832 of the $25,000 goal had been raised. To contribute to the fundraiser, please visit https://gofundme.me/1f7180ba.
Turner’s obituary in The Mercury News described her as a longtime Sunnyvale resident who “dedicated 35+ years of service to NASA” and had recently relocated to San Jose to be closer to her family.
“She was a beautiful woman, beloved mother, awesome grandmother, hip great-grandmother, and most importantly, a Child of God,” according to the obituary. “She touched the lives of everyone who crossed her path.”
Anyone with information about the stabbings should call the San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. J.J. Vallejo at 3810@sanjoseca.gov or Detective Mike Harrington at 4365@sanjoseca.gov. You can also leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers by calling 408-947-7867 or visiting svcrimestoppers.org.