Mother’s Generosity May Have Led to Her Death; Indebted Daughter and Son-in-Law Being Held

By all accounts, Nada Lazarevic was generous to her daughter and son-in-law. The 67-year-old Lancaster seamstress co-signed for one of Vanessa and Ken Walker’s credit cards, made a down payment on their house, helped finance their new car and paid for an expensive but short-lived move to Oregon.

Despite the financial support, Los Angeles sheriff’s homicide detectives say the couple amassed up to $50,000 in debts. After Lazarevic repeatedly confronted them about their overdue bills, authorities say, the couple went to her home, killed her and dumped her body on a desolate Kern County highway.

Before her remains were identified last week, Ken Walker, a 39-year-old auto mechanic, was arrested and charged with murder in his mother-in-law’s death. While visiting him Saturday at the Twin Towers jail downtown, Vanessa Walker, 42, was arrested on suspicion of murder, said homicide Det. Danny Smith of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies arrested Vanessa Walker because they feared she might leave the area after learning her mother’s body had been found.

“Apparently, the discovery of the body was enough to send her over the edge, and Friday night we became concerned that she was going to flee,” Smith said.

Couple Described as Financially Desperate

Although Vanessa Walker has not been formally charged, detectives are developing a picture of a financially desperate couple that killed their benefactor over money.

“The bottom line is that in addition to debt forgiveness [with Lazarevic’s death], we believe Ken and Vanessa Walker considered what they would stand to gain financially [in an inheritance] from their mother’s death,” Smith said.

Lazarevic was reported missing Aug. 25 by family and friends after she was last seen at her Lancaster home, where she ran a successful sewing business. Although initially classified as a missing-person case, it quickly became clear to investigators that there was more to the disappearance, Smith said.

Lazarevic was always punctual and followed a regular schedule, but she vanished without taking her heart medicine or alerting family, friends or neighbors, with whom she regularly kept in touch.

Two weeks later, her gold 2000 Toyota Camry was recovered near Yucca Avenue and Jackman Street in Lancaster. Although authorities had not yet found a body, the case came together as detectives began to examine a tangled web of family finances.

Victim Gave Pair Financial Assistance

For years, the Walkers received financial assistance from Lazarevic, who helped them obtain credit cards and assumed responsibility for their finances in numerous ways, Smith said. That included providing money for a down payment on their house, helping to finance one of their cars and paying for their move to Oregon and back to the Antelope Valley, the detective said.

All the while, the couple amassed debts in Lazarevic’s name that detectives estimate could reach $50,000 when all the financial records are reviewed. As the couple’s debt grew, Lazarevic began receiving notices from collection agencies and insisted her daughter and son-in-law repay the bills, Smith said.

“There were heated arguments about money issues,” he said. “She was very, very upset about that and confronted the suspects several times, including the night of her disappearance.”