Trial Continues for Clinton Township Man Accused Of Attempted Murder

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI — Jurors will continue their deliberations Wednesday of a 34-year-old Clinton Township man accused of attempted murder. Alfie Parker is charged in connection with the January 2016 robbery and shooting of Erwin Johnson outside the Clinton Village Apartments in Clinton Township.

Parker, a convicted felon, is charged with attempted murder, armed robbery and two weapons offenses, according to a Macomb Daily report. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes without reaching a verdict Tuesday following closing arguments in front of Judge Kathryn Viviano in Macomb County Circuit Court, the newspaper reported.

Police believe the shooting took place during a party at the 15 Mile Road apartment complex. The Macomb Daily reported that Johnson gave Parker a $20 bill to go to a store to buy a bottle of liquor, according to prior testimony. After a short time, Johnson went outside to check on the status of the purchase and was robbed of several hundred dollars and shot.

Johnson named the shooter as “Reese,” which prosecutors say is Parker’s nickname. But defense attorney Kenneth Vernier argued Johnson’s ability to identify Parker was affected by his drunken state. His blood-alcohol level was .238 percent, about three times the legal level of intoxication, the Macomb Daily reported.

But Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Evan Dash refuted that claim, the newspaper reported. “They had been hanging out all evening together,” Dash said of Parker and Johnson. “Despite the alcohol, he was coherent and responsive.”

The incident was captured on surveillance video. Dash noted the assailant could be seen ordering Johnson to check both pockets to give him money, the Macomb Daily reported. “He (Parker) had watched E.J. (Johnson) fish around in his pockets to get money for that bottle,” Dash told jurors, according to the newspaper.

Parker was on parole for an attempted murder conviction in Wayne County at the time of the incident. He was captured in Detroit on Feb. 5, 2016, six days after the incident, following a police manhunt, the Macomb Daily reported.

Photo courtesy of the Macomb County Sheriff's Office