Report Details Investigation into Murder of Two Children at Local Trailer Park

NEW DETAILS ON MURDER OF CHILDREN AT FLAXMAN TRAILER PARK

New details are emerging in the deaths of two Escambia County children last Friday. An arrest report obtained by WEAR reveals how investigators got 27-year-old John Henry Walston to confess to killing 9-year-old Vayden Orum and 7-year-old Rayden Smith at his mobile home on Flaxman Street. According to the report, Walston initially claimed an intruder broke in and set the fire. A 12-year-old boy who escaped the fire backed up that story. But detectives found the account didn't match the evidence at the scene. The report says Walston showed no emotion when first shown crime scene photos. But after detectives left him alone in the interview room with the photos still on the table, they observed him picking them up and crying - his first emotional response. When new investigators returned, he confessed. Sheriff Chip Simmons says the investigation continues, including questions about why the three children were staying at Walston's trailer that night as guests. Walston faces multiple charges including two counts of premeditated murder and sexual assault. He's due in court Friday for a pre-trial detention hearing.