Murder-suicide took ‘Wonder Woman,’ leaving only questions

You can't say, "I love you," if you don't mean it.

Not to the kids who spend more time in hospitals than on playgrounds. The ones in a constant fight against the worst diseases - cancer, AIDS, sickle cell anemia.

They see through the cheesy costumes and fake smiles.

But that was never a problem for Kathryn Michelle Walters, known as Michelle to her friends and "Wonder Woman" to the hundreds of sick kids she helped.

"She had a unique ability to make people feel good, just by knowing her. ... Michelle was one of those people that the kids just knew how much she loved and cared," said Jeff Gordon, 59, CEO of the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. "She just had a heartfelt energy that flowed through her. I think that it filled the children's hearts and everybody around her."

Michelle spent about 15 years volunteering for child cancer groups, sacrificing vacations to help run a pair of Las Vegas summer camps, Camp Cartwheel and Camp Firefly, which serve critically ill children and their siblings.

Counselors at the camps chose their own nicknames and costumes. Michelle wore the "Wonder Woman" attire.

She spent the rest of her time as an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, where she gained a reputation as a caring cop who gave back to her community.

Helping people came naturally. Her brother is a Las Vegas police officer. She married a Las Vegas police officer.

There was only one thing that could have pulled Michelle away from policing and volunteering - the birth of her son, Maximilian, in February 2007.

That was one of the hardest, yet proudest, achievements in her life. She and her husband spent years trying fertility treatments to get pregnant. Michelle left the department in 2005, partly to focus on becoming a mom.

After Max was born, she had less time for the foundation, too.

"Her son was her life. She devoted everything to him," Gordon said. "All mothers love their children, of course, but I think when a mother goes through something like that, procedure after procedure, the bonding might even be more strong.

"He was the light of her life, no question."

ASKING 'WHY'

Michelle was 46. Max, 5, had a birthday coming next month.

Mother and son died together Monday morning at the hands of Hans Pieter Walters, 52, Michelle's husband and Max's father. He was a respected Las Vegas police officer for more than 20 years, reaching the rank of lieutenant in 2010.

Walters called 911 about 8:20 a.m. Monday, told dispatchers he had killed his wife and son, and was setting his Boulder City home ablaze, authorities said. Walters also said he would harm any officers who came to his house.

When Boulder City police arrived, they saw Walters outside, carrying a handgun. He then went inside the house at 1313 Esther Drive and killed himself.

Walters, his wife and his son all died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The shooting shocked Walters' neighbors and colleagues. Several days later, a motive remained unclear.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie issued a brief, somber statement Monday but deferred questions until the investigation was complete. Henderson police are handling the case for the Boulder City department, which lacks resources for major investigations.

The shooting sparked both sadness and anger from police. Former Las Vegas officer Randy Sutton, who worked with Hans Walters, has said his good memories of Walters "mean nothing to me anymore."

Many current officers agree with Sutton and have disowned Walters in briefing room discussions and on social media. Other officers, some of whom said the lieutenant seemed normal during his last graveyard shift just two days before the killings, are simply asking: Why?

Sgt. Tom Harmon, director of the Police Employment Assistance Program, said his office gives police a confidential place to vent, whether it's after an officer-involved shooting or after a department tragedy.

If officers need more help, they are referred to mental professionals.

After a tragedy such as Monday's murder-suicide, Harmon said, it's protocol to immediately respond to any local family members of those involved. His agents then speak with officers at the scene and visit friends and other co-workers.

"What each and every person needs is unique to them," Harmon said. "Some people need more intense help, others have the coping skills needed to put things into perspective more quickly."

Harmon said it's dangerous to assume that the stresses of policing are automatically responsible for a breakdown. Police are more likely to seek mental help today than 20 years ago, or even five years ago, he said, and every officer is different.

"For some people, stress can just lead to people getting divorced three or four times. Some have substance abuse issues, some get into trouble on the job and get fired. And sometimes other people can be extreme, where they don't think there's any way out and they need to harm themselves," Harmon said.

UNKNOWN 'TRIGGER'

Jack Levin, a professor of sociology and criminology at Northeastern University in Boston and author of several books on the psychology of murder, said most murder-suicides are caused by a "catastrophic trigger event."

The trigger doesn't have to involve work, though it often does. Walters was recently transferred to the graveyard shift but had no pending internal discipline cases and had a clean record.

Financial, domestic and work-related issues are three of the most common triggers for those who kill family members. Most are men and use guns. Many have no criminal history or diagnosed mental illness.

And they rarely "snap" and kill in a rage, as people commonly think, Levin said. They're often depressed for a long time, and killings are usually premeditated, he said.

"There's some men who simply can't stand the idea of being separated from their families," he said. "There's also the idea that some men feel totally responsible for the well-being of their family members, and they feel that life is so miserable they would all be better off dead."

Levin said he almost always finds evidence of a trigger when investigating these crimes. But the evidence isn't always made public.

"We may never know," he said. "They (police) usually keep evidence close to the vest. Not sure why they do it."

Jeff Gordon can't help but wonder.

Walters supported his wife and also worked with her at Camp Cartwheel under the nickname "Bill the Kat." He worked behind the scenes - she was front and center with the kids.

"I'm going on 60 years old, and some things still just really shock you. And this is one. It penetrates the depths of your heart," Gordon said.

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada, an associate group of Gordon's that runs Camp Firefly, plans a vigil at 6 p.m. today at its office at 8990 Spanish Ridge Ave., near Russell Road and the Las Vegas Beltway.

Gordon said he didn't know why Michelle was drawn to cancer groups. He didn't know whether she had a relative who had cancer. If she did, she never spoke to him about it.

He believes Michelle wanted to be a part of her community and around kids she adored.

"She truly was 'Wonder Woman' in the eyes of many of our children. Certainly in my eyes, and in the eyes of all of our counselors."

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.