Walker's court-martial, resulting from a widening sex scandal at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, began Monday with discussion of procedural issues in his case.
Opening statements had been expected by afternoon but debate among attorneys over various legal issues forced the military judge, Col. Wesley Moore, to delay them until Tuesday. Walker's father and two other family members were in the courtroom at the base.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Luis A. Walker arrives
from a lunch break during his court martial
at Lackland Air Force Base
Walker is among 12 instructors at Lackland who are being investigated in a scandal that has rocked one of the nation's busiest military training centers.
Walker's civilian attorney, Joseph Esparza, declined comment Monday.
A two-star general, Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward, has launched a separate, independent investigation.
Advocates for female service members and members of Congress have started taking notice.
"It's a pretty big scandal the Air Force is having to deal with at this point," Greg Jacob, a former Marine infantry officer and policy director of the Service Women's Action Network, said last month. "It's pretty substantial in its scope."
The sexual misconduct at the base apparently began in 2009, but the first woman didn't come forward until last year. The first allegations were levied against Walker, who is accused of crimes that allegedly took place between October 2010 and January 2011.
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