29-page letter left by man who shot himself, burned down garage leads to woman's arrest

PARKER, Pa. — Charred remains are all that is left of a garage at the bottom of a Parker Township home.

Police said Mark Durnell killed himself there in September 2019.

Shirley and Kenneth Blauser own all of that property and rented the house and garage on Locust Lane to Durnell and April Walker, 43.

They never imagined what they would learn about the couple two years later.

You can customize your WPXI News App to receive Butler County news alerts. CLICK HERE to find out how. 

According to police, Walker had a PFA against Durnell, but that night in September he showed up with a rifle.

Durnell and Walker got into a fight that evening before he shot himself in the garage and burned it down, according to a police criminal complaint.

Investigators said he left a 29-page letter behind detailing exactly what that argument was about. In the letter, Durnell “details specific events in his relationship with Walker,” the complaint said.

Walker admitted to those same events during her interview about the fire, which landed her in jail.

Now, she is facing several charges for having sex with a minor in 2016.

Walker has not been able to post bail yet, and she is expected in court again on Tuesday.

TRENDING NOW:

Cox Media Group