What happened to Emma Walker? Details explored ahead of People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the 2010s

The upcoming episode of People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the 2010s is set to dive into the case of Emma Walker, a 16-year-old Central High School cheerleader, who was murdered in her own home after a series of mysterious occurrences. The crime, which occurred in 2016, remains one of the most prolific ones in the history of Tennessee.

The episode, titled The Ghost Killer, will air on August 27, 2024, at 8 PM EST. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"In November 2016, a 16-year-old girl receives terrifying text messages from an unknown number; two days later, her mother finds her dead from a gunshot wound; now, police must send two young teens undercover to try and trap her killer."

As mentioned in the synopsis, Emma was found dead in her bedroom from a gunshot wound. It would take an elaborate process to catch the killer, who turned out to be her disgruntled ex-boyfriend, Riley Gaul, whom she dated on and off for two years before completely breaking up.

Riley Gaul was ultimately sentenced to life in prison, where he remains. Let us dive into this murder ahead of People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the 2010s episode 7.

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Who was Emma Walker and what happened to her?

Emma Walker was born to Mark and Jill Walker on March 20, 2000, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She had a brother, and she grew up in a loving family. With a bright and chirpy personality, Emma Walker was an integral part of her school's cheerleading squad, BETA Club, HOSA, and Young Life, all while she was still a junior.

Alongside her caring and kind nature, she was renowned among her peers for her beauty. As a freshman, she started dating William Riley Gaul. Though he had a girlfriend at the time, he promised he would break up with her, and this led to a confounding situation at the prom.

Anyhow, this relationship still stretched for a couple of years despite Emma Walker's parents completely disapproving of Riley Gaul. According to friends, Emma and Riley's relationship was extremely toxic, and they would break up often. Riley allegedly had a controlling personality, which did not sit well with the independent Emma, leading to most of their brawls.

After Riley started college and was allegedly photographed with other women, Emma finally decided to end the relationship for good before Thanksgiving that year. However, trouble began when she announced this decision to Riley Gaul.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, Emma Walker received a disturbing text message from an unknown caller, claiming that Gaul had been kidnapped. Gaul also allegedly called and screamed for help. When she ran outside, she spotted her ex-boyfriend standing. She believed that he was just trying to hook her attention. Gaul would later claim to the police that he was really kidnapped, but no evidence supporting this claim was ever found.

The following day, she saw a mysterious man in black clothing around her house. In her desperation, she called Gaul, who came to search and found nothing.

The next morning, Emma's mother found her unresponsive in her bed. Investigators found two bullets had been fired through the walls of her bedroom, one of which hit her behind her ear, killing her.

While Gaul seemed to be the likely suspect, the police were only able to get to him with the help of two teenagers, Alex and Noah, who helped trap him.

He was eventually sentenced to life for the murder, alongside other charges. He remains in prison for the murder of Emma Walker, as of today.

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People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the 2010s episode 7 will cover this case in further detail. Stay tuned.