Conway attorney charged with hiring a hit man

A Conway attorney has been arrested and charged with solicitation to commit a felony after police said he paid someone to kill another attorney.

Irby E. Walker, 58, was booked into the J Reuben Long Detention Center Thursday night and was charged Friday morning.

According to the arrest warrant, Horry County Police said that between September 11 and September 17, Walker had numerous conversations on the phone or in person with an individual to talk about killing Doug Thornton.

Thornton is also an attorney.

The warrant also says in his meetings, Walker talked about how much he would pay for Thornton to be killed.

The individual who met with Walker cooperated with HCPD officers and agreed to have the conversations and meetings recorded.

The warrant goes on to say that on September 17, Walker set up a meeting with the informant at his law office, 212 Elm Street, Conway.

At that meeting Walker paid the informant a sum of money with the balance to be paid after Thornton was killed.

Thornton told News13, “This is incredible, unbelievable and I don’t know what to say about it.”

Thornton, who said he’s known Walker since 1982, also said three years ago he had an office inside Walker’s law office in Conway.

At a 3p.m. bond hearing Friday, a Horry County judge set Walker’s bond at $100,000 cash or surety bond.

The judge also said Walker has to wear an ankle bracelet and cannot have any contact with the victims.

In court, George McMaster, of the McMaster law firm in Columbia, described Walker as a well-known and well thought of member of the community.

McMaster said he believes the charges, what he calls allegations are ridiculous and farcical. "There was allegedly a payment in a murder plot with a post dated check, your Honor, I find that the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of in my life, it’s not possible, you don’t pay for a proposed murder with a post dated firm check.”

McMaster went on to say that there may have been some bad blood between Walker and Thornton as related to the practice of law, but the entire incident defies logic and comprehension.

Thornton said the “bad blood” is not over business fallout. Thornton said what led Walker to pay someone to kill him was because two clients of Walker’s came to Thornton after he tried their cases and brought suits against Walker for what they thought was inadequate representation. Thornton said Walker later went back to one of those clients and tried to persuade the client to fire Thornton and re-hire Walker and not to tell anyone what they talked about. Thornton said Walker even went so far as to draft a letter for the client to sign to dissolve the relationship with Walker. Thornton said he believed Walker held him responsible for his client’s actions rather than his own shortcomings.

During Walker’s bond hearing, Thornton said he, his children, and his staff don’t feel safe. Thornton said he has relocated his children, is now locking the doors to his law office and only letting people in who he recognizes. And Thornton said he now keeps a firearm handy.

As Horry County solicitor Greg Hembree recounted to the judge what police and his office learned, Walker, in a white button down shirt, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, shifted his weight from side to side, sighed, licked his lips, and closed his eyes, repeatedly.

Hembree told the judge that Walker asked a part-time employee on numerous occasions if there was anyone who would commit a murder for hire. The employee went to Horry County Police and reported what Walker asked him. Hembree said the HCPD then recorded and videotaped conversations with Walker in which he clearly expressed his desire to hire a hit man to kill Thornton. Hembree said in an audio and video tape recorded as early as the morning of September 17, Walker indicated he also wanted to have Thornton’s entire staff killed as well. Hembree said and HCPD office posed as a hit man, made contact with Walker and agreed to pay $10,000 for Thornton’s murder, $5,000 up front and $5,000 after the job was done. Hembree told News13 after the bond hearing that this is the first time in his career he's been involved in a murder for hire case involving a member of the local bar and it is almost unbelievable. Hembree said, “It’s quite frightening and chilling to see someone you think you know, at least professionally, express such a cold hearted and cold blooded attitude and premeditated, intentional attitude toward such an act of violence, it is alarming, it is disturbing."

Walker told the judge at his bond hearing that he did not want to get into the facts of the case and said that when they came out later, he would be exonerated. Walker also pleaded with the judge not to require a GPS monitoring system he would have to wear around his ankle. Walker said, “I work everyday, seven days a week and I meet clients all over this area. Part of my practice is in Columbia, part of my practice is in Sumter, I have cases in Manning. I do not want to be seen with and ankle bracelet.”

The judge did not agree and Walker is required to wear the GPS monitoring system around his ankle. He said it won’t prevent him from going out of town and conducting his business, they are discreet and he could cover it with pants.

Thornton said he wished Walker would not have been awarded bond. “I don’t like being a victim and I don’t like it that someone can pay to have you killed and they only get ten years maximum.”

HCPD Lt. Jamie Debari, who said Walker was arrested at his office Thursday without incident, said the maximum sentence for Walker’s charge is ten years.

Lt. Debari also said in his fifteen year career in law enforcement, he’s never seen anything like this case. “I don't think anything surprises me anymore but it's different, it's not something you see everyday or expect."

Thornton said while he and Walker had some problems in the past, he didn’t like the way he practiced law, he didn’t believe the discord was to a level that Walker wanted him dead. “I’m not the least bit afraid of Irby Walker, I could handle him physically in a heart beat, and you see he tired to hire someone else to take me out because he couldn’t do it himself. I don’t hate him; I feel sorry for him and think he’s delusional. My heart goes out to his family, it really does, and you know I’m sure that they don't have any feelings about me, but my heart primarily goes out to the ones that I love and care about. Irby and I have sons about the same age and my heart goes out to him. But I am weary of him and will be watching him; the sickness of his thought process is cold-blooded.