The suspect in the homicide of 10-year-old Tessa Faith Walker who was stabbed near her home in Hidden Valley Lake (HVL) on Friday, March 21, was arraigned Tuesday, March 25, at the Lake County Superior Court. The suspect, James Ronald Pagan, 31, is in custody at the Lake County jail on $1 million bail.
Pagan was arrested March 21 after being detained at the Sugarbush Court home where he lives. The home is located nearby and in view of Firethorn Road where the stabbings took place.
Over the weekend, a memorial for Tessa was started on Firethorn Road that continues to grow. It includes a four-foot-tall white cross built by a neighbor, numerous flowers and stuffed animals, letters and balloons.
The charges against Pagan include suspicion of murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and willful cruelty to a child. Attorney Ken Roush was appointed to defend Pagan. An entry of a plea is set for April 11 in Department Four of the Lake County Superior Court.
Tessa Walker succumbed March 21 to the stabbing injuries at Redbud Hospital in Clearlake. Her 14-year-old sister, Kristen Marie Walker, was also stabbed and taken to Redbud Hospital and then flown to the Oakland Children”s Hospital for treatment of a moderate stab wound. Kristen is at home and doing well physically, according to a written statement from the girls” father, Lower Lake physician Dr. Ronald R. Walker.
The community is rallying to support the Walker family by setting up a foundation to help the family financially.
The Ronald R. Walker MD Foundation was set up Monday at the Bank of the West in Clearlake by friends of the family David and Sarah Barreda and friend Kathy Harrison. Send donations to Ronald R. Walker M.D. Foundation, 15050 Olympic Drive, Clearlake, CA 95422 or mail directly to the family: Ronald R. Walker M.D. Foundation, P.O. Box 713, Lower Lake, CA 95457.
“The reason we started it is because Dr. Walker runs a Medi-Cal clinic that sees a lot of Medi-Cal patients and is a small-office doctor. We know the family needs financial help so we started this for him,” said Barreda.
He said another reason for setting up the foundation is to help the family afford needed counseling for Tessa”s four siblings: Justin, age 19; Sarah, age 18; Kristen, age 14; and 9-month-old baby Joshua.
Mary Anderson, a nurse who has worked with Dr. Walker for 18 years said she already had two people come in and numerous phone calls from people wanting to help the family.
Barreda remembers Tessa as a “little angel who was very bubbly and very happy.” Anderson said, “She was always happy, she loved animals, especially puppy dogs and she wanted to be a doctor like her dad.”
Kathleen Eberhardt, Clearlake resident and patient of Dr. Walker”s for three years said she was shocked and horrified to find out about the family”s loss. She said Dr. Walker”s practice is holistic in that the clinic provides comprehensive care for the patient.
“I will send them $100 per month until they”ve healed, until they”re through with therapy, for whatever [length of time] this takes,” Eberhardt said.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com.
