He drove up to 77 mph and killed a Durham deputy. Now he’ll spend 20 years in prison.
A man charged with killing a single mother after crashing a stolen car into her SUV during a car chase pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson sentenced Tomaris Lamont Parker, 33, to serve nearly 20 years to more than 24 years in state prison under a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, as seen in streaming video provided by WRAL..
On Aug. 2 Durham police received a report of an armed robbery around 1:32 p.m., said Durham County Assistant District Attorney Dale Morrill.
A woman told police that Parker had pointed a gun at her and stolen her 2007 Honda Accord around 9 a.m. that day after they smoked crack and were on the way to get some more.
About six hours later, officers were out on patrol when they spotted the Accord. Parker refused to pull over when officers tried to stop him near the intersection of Elizabeth and Ramseur streets, police have said.
The intersection is near the Durham County Human Services building and the new Police Department headquarters.
During the chase, Parker ran multiple red lights and stop signs, Morrill said, and crossed double yellow lines as he took blind curves.
Those were just some of the at least 36 traffic offenses that occurred during a chase that snaked through N.C. Central University and in and near downtown and surrounding neighborhoods during an evening with spots of rain.
Parker’s speed reached 77 miles per hour, Morrill said.
Detention officer killed
While driving east on Club Boulevard, Parker ran the red lights at the intersection of Gregson Street and then North Duke Street, where he ran into the side of Brooke Maynard’s Hyundai Sonata, Morrill said.
Maynard, a 24-year-old detention center deputy and mother of a 4-year-old daughter, died at the scene.
Medical records indicated Parker tested positive for cocaine, opiates and other drugs.
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 6:03 PM.