Arkansas man gets 2 life terms plus 835 years for killing deputy
A judge has sentenced an Arkansas man to two life terms plus 835 years in prison for the shooting death of an off-duty police officer in 2018, according to news reports.
Demarcus Donnell Parker, 27, was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday by a Crittenden County jury. He was also found guilty of illegally shooting a weapon from inside a vehicle and 21 other charges related to the killing of Forrest City Officer Oliver Johnson in northeast Arkansas more than two years ago.
Johnson was likely not Parker’s intended target, investigators stated in court documents, according to The Associated Press.
Accounts of the incident said the gunman opened fire on rival gang members April 28 outside the officer’s residence in West Memphis, where multiple rounds struck an apartment building. One of the stray bullets pierced the walls of Johnson’s home, leaving him mortally wounded in the upper torso, the AP reported.
Johnson was a member of the Forrest City Police Department at the time of his death.
George Henderson, who was arrested as a suspect alongside Parker, will next stand trial and has pleaded not guilty.
In 2018, investigators accused Henderson of firing the bullet that struck the officer, the AP reported at the time.
About the Author
ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.
