Man in Motel 6 case looks to future

After five years of stone walls, metal bars and locked doors in prison, David Valken-Leduc says walking the sidewalk as a free man is almost "surreal."

"It's just overwhelming — I feel almost lost," Valken-Leduc said Wednesday. "You go from having no choices to having all the choices in the world."

Valken-Leduc, 30, was abruptly plunged back into normal life Tuesday after a judge vacated his 2004 murder conviction and let him plead guilty to a lesser charge. He walked out of jail a free man and now, with the help of family friends, is trying to start a new life.

He spent much of the day trying to get identification and a driver's license. He is staying with a friend of his deceased mother but plans to find work as quickly as he can and get his own apartment.

Above all, he said he plans to abide by every jot and tittle of the rules the judge laid down for his three years of probation. One slip and Valken-Leduc will be shipped back to prison.

"Just being out is a celebration in itself," he said. "I'll be walking by and see some flowers and some people I normally wouldn't see, and it just brings a smile to my face."

"I'd like to go back to school," Valken-Leduc said, adding his top choices are the University of California-Berkeley or Syracuse University in New York. He said he has 120 college credits already from his studies in prison.

"I would love to get a master's degree. I for sure will get an undergraduate degree," he said.

As for which school he can attend, Valken-Leduc said, "My options are somewhat narrowed because of this (conviction), so I don't exactly know."

His original goal was to become an actuarial mathematician with a minor in computer science, although he is unsure if his conviction will bar him from certain professions.

Along with the obstacles of finding a job to support himself and getting financial aid for school, Valken-Leduc also has to get another state to let him be there on probation under an interstate compact and get permission from Utah's Adult Probation and Parole before making any move.

A jury convicted Valken-Leduc for the 1996 shooting death of University of Utah student Matthew John Whicker, who was working the night shift at a Motel 6 in Woods Cross to support himself and his family and attend college.

All lawyers involved in Valken-Leduc's case agree now that original trial lawyer attorney, Aric Cramer, did such a terrible job representing Valken-Leduc that it might have influenced the jury verdict. Whicker's family did not want a new trial.

Valken-Leduc said he feels bad for the Whicker family and their loss.

"My heart goes out to them," he said. "I hope they have some peace of mind."