Charles Thomas Walker (April 28, 1940 – September 12, 1990) was an American convicted murderer who was executed in 1990 by the state of Illinois for the June 1983 murders of Kevin Paule, 21, and his fiancée Sharon Winker, 25, of Mascoutah. Looking for beer money, Walker robbed them of $40 and shot them to death while the couple fished in a St. Clair County creek. He was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center at the age of 50, becoming the first person to be executed in Illinois since 1962. The execution was considered botched because the lethal injection machine was unable to make the drugs go through the kinked lines. Early life Walker was born on April 28, 1940, in Fayetteville, Illinois, to Jess and Lucille Walker, who divorced while Charles was still young. Both his father and stepfather were alcoholics. At age 8, Walker got drunk on moonshine after his father gave him some to try. By age 12, his stepfather was taking him out to drink in local taverns. At age 14, Walker started committing crimes and began carrying out minor offenses and burglaries. A year later, he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he was caught buying beer for his younger cousin. During his sophomore year, Walker dropped out of high school, left home, and headed to Florida. He returned to Illinois six months later and continued his life of crime, committing multiple burglaries. At age 17, Walker was convicted of burglary and was sent to Menard Correctional Center for six and a half years. Less than a year after his release, Walker broke into a tavern and stole money and alcohol. He was sent back to Menard for an additional four years. In 1961, Walker's father was fatally shot in O'Fallon. The man convicted of the killing served two years in jail before being released. In 1969, after being out of prison for two months, Walker went out on a drinking spree. In a drunken rage, Walker got into a shootout with Whiteside County police and lost his right eye after being shot in the face during the exchange of gunfire. Walker was charged with attempted murder and was sent to prison for six years. After his release, he committed an armed robbery at a gas station and was sentenced to prison for four years. During his time