A man convicted in a Crittenden County murder will go free after the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday reversed and dismissed his conviction for the shooting death of an off-duty police officer, ruling that his right to a speedy trial had been violated.
Demarcus Donnell Parker was convicted in 2020 of first-degree murder and other charges in the April 28, 2018 shooting death of Oliver Johnson, 25, in West Memphis.
Parker was sentenced to two life sentences, plus 835 years. He is listed by the Arkansas Department of Corrections as an inmate at a maximum-security facility in Tucker, Arkansas.
Johnson, a Forrest City police officer, was at home in the Meadows Apartments when a vehicle drove by and fired about 40 shots at a group of people, according to witnesses. A stray bullet killed Johnson as he sat inside with his daughter, family members said at the time. Parker, who was an occupant in the vehicle, was arrested a few days later.