CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video is from the original story published in 2021.
An Oklahoma man who was charged with kidnapping his estranged wife and child and bringing them to Corpus Christi before having an armed stand-off with police was found guilty Thursday.
On June 23, 2021, Joshua Anthony Wallin confronted his estranged wife at gunpoint at her home in Crescent, Oklahoma. The next two days, he took her and their one-year-old son "on an arduous journey that culminated at a Corpus Christi restaurant," a statement from U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said.
“Joshua Wallin’s maniacal decision to kidnap and torture his estranged wife and one-year-old son and later point a gun at the baby’s head caused two days of terror from places in Oklahoma to Texas,” said Hamdani. “Thanks to the heroic efforts of first responders, the child and mother were able to survive their frightening nightmare, and now Wallin will pay the price for his actions.”
On June 24, 2021, police were chasing Wallin through the Coastal Bend when he called 911 and was connected to San Patricio County dispatchers.
"The driver called our 911 center and told our dispatcher to have our units back up because he was armed with a gun and a bomb," San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera said at the time. "He told us he wanted to 'see the ocean.' "
Around 5:31 p.m. that day, Corpus Christi police officers were called to assist in the chase.
After Wallin entered Corpus Christi, tire spikes were laid out on the 4200 block of Baldwin where the vehicle came to a stop. Wallin then entered the nearby Jalisco's restaurant, taking the child inside as a hostage and holding a gun to his head, officials said. The female was able to escape.
Police surrounded the restaurant as the SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team were called to help. According to Interim Police Chief at the time, David Blackmon, the suspect ended up shooting himself after a three-hour standoff.
Police said SWAT members entered the building to secure the child and administer life-saving efforts to the man. He eventually recovered from his injuries to go on trial.
During the trial, the victim provided testimony describing her fear and how she was sexually assaulted before they left Oklahoma and again along the way.
Testimony revealed Wallin had performed internet searches on his phone the day before the kidnapping in an attempt to locate his estranged wife and to learn how people react when kidnapped, according to federal officials.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that Wallin and the victim were on a vacation when things went horribly wrong. The jury did not believe those claims and found Wallin guilty of kidnapping and brandishing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for Sept. 20. At that time, Wallin faces up to life in prison for the kidnapping as well as another seven years for brandishing the firearm which must be served consecutively.
The Corpus Christi Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Hess and Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.