The father of a 1-year-old baby girl killed in a drive-by shooting last year in Kent pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution for allegedly forcing an 18-year-old woman to give him all the money she made working as a prostitute in Seattle.
Martrice Donta Walker, also known as Martrice Grant, pleaded not guilty on May 11 in King County Superior Court, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He remains in custody at the county jail in Seattle with bail set at $300,000. Walker, 30, reportedly profited from prostitution by forcing the woman to work for him from June 2014 through March 2016.
Walker is scheduled to return to court for a case setting hearing on May 24 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. A trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case.
Malijah Grant died after being struck by a bullet while riding in the back of her parents car on April 16, 2015. Marty L. Kime pleaded not guilty in January to the drive-by murder. County prosecutors say Kime targeted the baby’s father as part of a gang retaliation shooting, but a shot hit the girl instead. She died two days later at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Malijah lived in Kent with her parents.
According to charging papers, Walker worked as a pimp before and after the death of his daughter. Seattle Police arrested Walker on April 30 for promoting prostitution after charges were filed and a warrant went out for his arrest. Seattle Police had arrested the woman for prostitution in March 2015 during a Aurora Avenue North prostitution sting. That’s when she first told detectives about Walker, a pimp known as “Fast.”
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