More than two years after 42-year-old Quintell Walker was fatally stabbed inside a Westside Memphis home, the man accused in the attack is now facing a second-degree murder charge.
Anthony Burnside, 55, was booked Tuesday in connection with Walker’s death, according to jail records. He was being held in the Shelby County Jail on a $250,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, Action News 5 reported.
An arrest affidavit states that Walker was wounded at Burnside’s house on Marsh Avenue on the night of June 7, 2024. A roommate told investigators that Burnside stabbed Walker with a knife while the two men were drinking and arguing, then left before officers arrived.
Walker was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and died hours later, according to the report. A death notice published by The Daily Memphian lists his date of death as June 8, 2024.
Why The Charge Came More Than Two Years Later
The available report does not spell out what investigative step or court action finally led to the murder charge this week, leaving a conspicuous gap between the 2024 stabbing and the 2026 filing.
What is clear is that the calendar alone did not stop the case from moving forward. Tennessee’s General Assembly has removed the state’s 15-year prosecution limit for second-degree murder offenses committed on or after July 1, 2019, so the delay by itself did not block a case tied to the 2024 killing.
Under Justia, which publishes Tennessee statutes, second-degree murder includes a “knowing killing” and is classified as a Class A felony. Burnside has been charged, not convicted, and it will be up to prosecutors to prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Action News 5 also reported that court records list several prior felony assault charges for Burnside. After the long gap between Walker’s death and the murder charge, the case now moves ahead with Burnside back before a judge.
