On June 18, 1983, 21-year-old Kevin Paule and his 25-year-old fiancée Sharon Winker went fishing along the west bank of Silver Creek, about half a mile west of Mascoutah, Illinois. A man identified as 43-year-old Charles Walker approached them, brandished a .25-caliber pistol and demanded Paule’s wallet. Walker bound both victims with tape from his car, secured them to trees, and, after Paule said he recognized him, shot Paule once in the right temple and Winker once behind the left ear. Both died instantly.

Paule’s body was discovered the next morning by Winker's mother; Winker’s body was found about 20 feet away. The victims were fully clothed, with no evidence of sexual assault or beating. Some fishing gear was missing; it was unclear whether money had been taken. Walker was arrested July 15, 1983, in Walden, Colorado, waived his rights, and confessed to the murders and an armed robbery that same night. He pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of armed robbery and was sentenced to death.