The Los Angeles man received the maximum sentence after convictions stemming from a 2022 crime spree that killed Larry Walker.
LOS ANGELES — Joshua Reneau was sentenced Friday to two life terms without the possibility of parole for a violent 2022 crime spree that included a deadly South Los Angeles carjacking and police pursuit that killed 63-year-old Larry Walker.
Reneau, 36, also received 53 years and four months in prison on other charges, according to reporting from his sentencing hearing. He had been convicted of multiple felonies, including two counts of murder with special circumstances, four assault counts, robbery and carjacking. The sentence closed a criminal case that grew from a series of violent events in 2022 and culminated in Walker’s death during an Oct. 13 pursuit.
Walker’s relatives addressed the court before the sentence was imposed, describing the lasting loss of a husband and father. His daughter, Jamien Walker, said she struggled to understand why someone would take her father away from his wife and children. Gaynell Walker, his wife, told the court that Reneau had shown complete disregard for human life.
The fatal sequence began after Los Angeles police detectives located Reneau on Oct. 13, 2022. At the time, police had obtained a murder warrant for him in connection with earlier robberies and shootings in the San Fernando Valley. Reneau got into a Toyota Prius, and officers attempted to stop the vehicle, according to police accounts released after the incident.
The Prius fled and later crashed near Florence and Haas avenues. Reneau ran from the vehicle and took Walker’s gray SUV, authorities said. Walker became caught as Reneau drove away and was dragged beneath the vehicle during the ensuing pursuit. Police said the chase continued into Inglewood as Reneau struck police vehicles before the SUV overturned near Florence and Prairie avenues.
Walker was pronounced dead near the crash site. Reneau remained inside the overturned vehicle during a standoff with police before surrendering. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries from the crash and later faced additional charges tied to Walker’s death and the pursuit.
Walker’s family publicly questioned the police response in the days after his death, including whether officers should have ended the pursuit sooner. Relatives said at the time that detectives already knew Reneau was wanted in a homicide investigation and argued that the developing pursuit placed other motorists at risk. The family’s criticism became part of the public discussion surrounding the case, although Reneau remained the defendant prosecuted for the crimes that led to Walker’s death.
Prosecutors initially charged Reneau with crimes that included murder, assault on peace officers, carjacking, firearm offenses and fleeing a pursuing police vehicle causing death. He also faced allegations connected with earlier robbery and shooting cases in the San Fernando Valley. His eventual convictions included two murder counts with special circumstances and several other serious felonies.
Friday’s sentencing brought the criminal prosecution to its most consequential stage nearly four years after Walker was killed. Reneau received the maximum sentence reported in the case: two life terms without parole, followed by an additional 53 years and four months for the remaining offenses.
Author note: Last updated September 19, 2026.