The California Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a Long Beach man convicted of gunning down the mother of his three children in her Bellflower apartment.
See related: Man’s conviction upheld against murder of LBCC nursing student, mother of three
On Wednesday, the state’s highest court declined the defense’s petition seeking its review of the case against Antowan Ladell Parker.
Jurors found Parker guilty in March 2019 of one count each of first-degree murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the Jan. 16, 2017, killing of Kenia Buckner.
In a July 22 ruling, a three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal found “overwhelming” evidence of Parker’s guilt.
“Multiple witnesses saw Parker shoot and kill Buckner before walking away. Parker apologized to his son after the murder and disposed of the weapon in his son’s presence,” the appellate court panel noted in the 14-page ruling.
Parker barged into Buckner’s apartment in the 16200 block of Cornuta Avenue with a gun, “told everyone to back off” and pointed a gun at her before shooting the 31-year-old victim six times, according to Deputy District Attorney Steven Schreiner.
The couple’s 9-year-old daughter heard screaming, went upstairs, looked through a window and witnessed the shooting, the prosecutor said.
Parker — who was convicted in 2010 of burglary at a Long Beach apartment where Buckner lived seven years to the day before the killing — was at large until his arrest about three months later, Schreiner said.
The killing was allegedly motivated by Parker’s jealousy over Buckner being in a new relationship, according to the deputy district attorney.
Parker was sentenced in May 2019 to nearly 93 years to life in state prison.
