Walker released on conditions after bail hearing in Saskatoon

Dawn Walker has been released on conditions after a bail hearing Friday in Saskatoon Provincial Court.

Judge Lua Gibb’s decision was met with audible gasps, followed by cheers and smattered clapping from the packed courtroom. Several people were teary-eyed after Walker’s release was announced.

Walker herself was seen dabbing her eyes with a tissue at one point during the afternoon hearing, but otherwise showed no emotion throughout the proceedings.

Supporters of Dawn Walker file out of Provincial Court in Saskatoon on Sept. 2, 2022 after Walker is released on bail. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

The judge ordered a number of conditions for Walker, including that she stay at her sister’s home with a 24-hour curfew under electronic monitoring and report regularly to probation officers.

Walker is also not allowed to travel outside of Saskatchewan without express permission, is being required to surrender all travel documents she has — including her passport — and must not possess any identity documents that are not in her name. Three people were named that Walker is not allowed to have contact with during her release.

Gibb said the release order comes with a promise to pay $10,000 by Walker.

The 48-year-old Saskatoon woman is facing charges of abduction and mischief in Saskatoon after faking her death and that of a minor. Walker also is charged in the United States with using false identification documents.

After Walker’s hearing adjourned, Christoph Murphy, who argued on behalf of Walker during the hearing, briefly spoke to media.

Lawyer Christoph Murphy, who represented Dawn Walker during her bail hearing, speaks briefly to media outside Provincial Court in Saskatoon on Sept. 2, 2022. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

“I was not surprised to see her released and I commend the courageousness of Madam Justice Gibb,” Murphy said.

Walker disappeared from Saskatoon on July 24. After an extensive two-week search, she was found Aug. 5 in Oregon City, Ore., where she was arrested.

Walker was extradited last week from the U.S. and made her first appearance in provincial court Monday. She was remanded in custody until Friday’s appearance.

Supporters of Walker were on hand for both appearances, demanding her release. They complained about the conditions with which Walker had to contend during her time in jail, writing a letter to Saskatoon Police Service Chief Troy Cooper to decry the conditions in the service’s holding cells.

—With files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Giesbrecht