By Staff
Parker turns himself in Saturday morning
By MIKE VOSS, Contributing Editor
The suspect in the murder of a Washington woman last week turned himself in to police on Saturday.
Kam Montrell Parker, charged with an open count of murder, is being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center without bond on the charge. Parker is scheduled to appear in court Monday, said Lt. William Chrismon with the Washington Police Department.
Parker, 18, is accused of murdering Washington resident Doris Patricia Brooks Clark, whose body was discovered inside her car near the intersection of North Market and West Seventh streets in Washington just before 6 p.m. Monday evening. Clark, who was shot in the chest, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a press release issued by the police department.
Parker, a resident of Daniels Court, turned himself in at the police department about 11:25 a.m. Saturday, whereupon he was arrested by Jerry Davis, an officer with the department. After being processed at the police department, Parker was transferred to the detention center. Parker frequents several addresses in Washington and Pitt County, according to police.
Police believe several of Parker’s relatives and friends persuaded him to turn himself in to avoid a possible confrontation with law-enforcement officers, Chrismon said.
An open count of murder against a person allows a jury to determine if that person committed first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter, according to Tom Anglim, an assistant district attorney for the Second Judicial District.
Police had been looking for Parker, who was wanted on murder and attempted armed robbery charges. The attempted armed robbery charge is not related to the murder, according to Chrismon. An advisory calling for law-enforcement authorities to be on the lookout for Parker was canceled after he turned himself in Saturday morning.
Parker was questioned Saturday by Steve Waters, a detective with the department who is investigating Clark’s murder. Asked if Parker confessed to killing Clark, Chrismon said he could not comment on what Parker divulged during questioning by investigators. Waters “was unable to comment on any statements made by Parker as this investigation is still ongoing,” according to a press release issued by the department Saturday afternoon.
The intersection of North Market and West Seventh streets has been identified as an area where drug trafficking occurs, according to police and people who live in the area. Police believe the shooting of Clark was drug-related, according to a previous press release from the department.
Red Bunting, who lives about a half a block from where Clark was found, doesn’t believe that’s the case.
Chrismon, in an interview last week, said the department stands by its statement about the murder being drug-related. Chrismon declined to comment further about possible drug elements related to the fatal shooting.
Bunting said he has observed drug-related activities in the area.
In a previous interview, Chrismon said police have identified drug-related problems in the neighborhood and increased patrols in that area. Residents who live in the area and observe criminal activities are asked to report them to police, Chrismon said.