Arkansas Man Sentenced To 2 Life Terms Plus 835 Years In Prison For Killing Off-Duty Officer
Demarcus Donnell Parker, a 27-year-old Arkansas man, has been sentenced to 2 life terms plus 835 years in prison for killing 25-year-old off-duty officer, Oliver Johnson of the Forrest City Police Department, in April 2018.
On Tuesday, Parker was convicted by a Crittenden County jury of first-degree murder (the first life sentence); first-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle (the second life sentence); six counts of attempted first-degree murder (30 years); 15 counts of second-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle (20 years per count); 23 counts of committing a felony with a firearm (15-year enhancement per count); plus a further enhancement of 10 years for committing these felonies in the presence of a child. His two life terms and 835 years are to run consecutively.
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Police say Johnson was not a direct target as he was struck by a stray bullet when Parker, sitting in a vehicle, engaged in a shootout with rival gang members outside of the officer’s home in West Memphis. Johnson, along with his young daughter and other children, were inside the apartment when the bullet shot into his unit, killing him. Neighbors say they heard about 40 gunshots. A trial on similar charges is pending for a defendant in the shooting, George Henderson, who’s pleaded not guilty.
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