Colfax man sentenced to 25 years in prison in Rapides rape, kidnapping case

Melissa Gregory, Alexandria Town Talk
·2 min read

A Colfax man again has been sentenced to prison, this time for 25 years on rape and kidnapping charges.

Justin Grant Walters, 60, was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping and a lesser felony charge of forcible rape in a Rapides Parish case dating back to April 2015.

He received 25 years on both counts.

Almost five years ago, law enforcement from Grant and Rapides parishes held a news conference to seek more possible victims of Justin Grant Walters. On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping and forcible rape in Rapides and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on both counts. Walters already is serving prison time in his Grant Parish case.

In October 2021, he pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree rape and three counts of second-degree kidnapping in Grant Parish. He was sentenced to 20 years on each of the six counts.

Walters will serve time for these crimes at the same time he's serving his other sentences. He must serve the Rapides sentences for at least 20 years without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, according to online court records.

Should he ever get out of prison, he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Almost five years ago, law enforcement in both parishes held a press conference to ask anyone who might have been victimized by Walters to come forward. He was accused of holding women captive, beating and raping them.

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Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain said their investigation into Walters began with the report of one victim. After his initial arrest, detectives discovered there were at least two more victims.

"He would physical restrain the women and beat them for days, raping one of them," McCain said during the news conference. "This is truly every woman's worst nightmare, to be held captive, beaten and then sexually abused."

A former nurse, Walters would "medically incapacitate" his victims. One was able to escape after chewing through her restraints.

Walters found some of his victims through social media. He moved from Grant Parish in 2014 to Rapides Parish, where he was arrested in the 2015 case.

In addition to the rape and kidnapping charges, he also was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods valued greater than $1,500 and two counts of simple criminal damage between $500 and $50,000 in Rapides.

Those charges were dropped on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Justin Grant Walters gets 25 years in Rapides kidnapping, rape case