Eric and Tangela Parker.Photo: U.S. Marshals
What started as a “silly argument” over moving tables at a furniture plant in North Carolina turned into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of a 51-year-old upholsterer.
Now, six months after the shooting, the woman accused of pulling the trigger and her husband, who have been on the run since Jan. 13, have been caught in Arizona, say federal authorities.
On Tuesday in Phoenix, the U.S. Marshals arrested Tangela Parker, 50, and Eric Parker, 62, who had been on the run in connection with a fatal shooting at the furniture plant where Tangela worked,the U.S. Marshals says in a release.
The fugitive couple was wanted in connection with the murder of Phelifia “Michelle” Marlow, who was shot and killed at TCS Designs, a furniture plant in Hickory, N.C., on Jan. 13, the U.S. Marshals says in the release.
Phelifia “Michelle” Marlow.Facebook
“Witnesses say that the shooting death of Marlow occurred just a few days after a workplace dispute at TCS Designs,” the U.S. Marshals says in the release.
At the time of his wife’s death, Marlow’s husband, Justin Marlow, said Tangela got into a “very silly” argument with his wife over moving tables in the work area, theHickory Daily Recordreported.
Justin said Tangela had been bullying his wife, theHickory Daily Recordreported.
As a result of the argument, Parker was suspended for three days, the paper reported.
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During its investigation across eight states, the U.S. Marshals developed information that the Parkers were living in the Phoenix area.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force approached a residence in Phoenix and arrested the Parkers, the release says.
The two had been living there under the alias names of Jason and Elizabeth Reardon, according to the U.S. Marshals.
The Honda CRV they were driving when they left North Carolina was also located at the home.
“Today marks six months since the tragic murder of Phelifia Marlow,” Chris Edge, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Western District of North Carolina, says in the release. “I hope on this day, Phelifia’s family may find closure in knowing the Parkers have been apprehended and will finally answer for their crimes against a beloved North Carolinian.”
Tangela is charged with first-degree murder. Eric is charged with being an accessory after the fact.
It is unclear whether they will fight extradition from Arizona to North Carolina, whether they have entered pleas, and whether they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
A Couple on the Run
On the day of the shooting, police arrived at about 2:30 p.m. and found Marlow at the plant, suffering from gunshot wounds. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died.
Immediately after the shooting, the Parkers vanished.
The U.S. Marshals launched a nationwide manhunt for the couple, offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who located them.
They lived in their Honda CR-V for nearly three months, changing out the license plate to evade authorities, the outlet reports.
Marlow’s family was relieved to hear that the couple had been arrested.
“I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders,” Marlow’s daughter, Makayla Marlow, told the outlet.
source: people.com
