The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-21
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT
Parker Found Guilty of Murder in the
First Degree, but With Rec
ommendatiOn to Mercy

Parker round GuIlty OF Murder IN the
First Degree, but With Rec
ommendatiOn to Mercy
In the circuit court this morning,
A L. Parker, who killed ]. B. Can
nington near Orange Lake June 25
last, was found guilty of murder in
the first degree, with recommends
tion to the mercy of the court. This
verdict means life sentence for Par
ker
The case was hard fought one
from the time selection of the jury
began Monday afternoon until the
closing argument of the defendants
attorney at eleven o'clock today, when
Judge w. S. Bullock's charge was
given the jury. The charge was clear
and concise and its every word was
intently listened to by each member
of the jury as well as by those occupy
ing seats in the courtroom
The jury had been out of the court
room about thirty minutes when it
filed back and returned its verdict as
above stated
The states witnesses heard yester-
day afternoon testified to the facts in
the case as stated in the Star at the,
time of the affair in June.
Mrs. Mary Amerson, the only eye
witness to the tragedy, told about
being in the COW lot adjoining the
residence of Mr.. j. B. Cannington,
the murdered man, near Mcintosh,
when Parker came up and fired load
of buckshot into his (Cannington's)
back, killing him instantly. Parker
reloaded his gun and left.
Mr.. James Cannington, SON of the
dead man, who lives in Georgia, took
the witness stand and presented a
map of the premises which was intro
duced in evidence after certain eras-
ures had been ordered by the court.
Mr.. ]. w. Jones, who lived at the
Cannington home at the time of the
killing, stated that Mr.. Cannington's
gun had not been moved from the
rack III the room where it was always
kept on the morning of the tragedy;
also saw Parker reload his gun and
walk away, though he did not see the
shooting take place.
A. L. Amerson, who also lived on
the Cannington place, said he did not
see the shooting. but upon hearing the
shot looked in the direction from
whence he heard the report and saw
Parker leaving the cow lot fence.
Messrs. j. c. Quarterman, ]. C. Tur-
nipseed and William Martindale, mer-
chants at Mcintosh, testified to the
defendants actions on the day before
the homicide In securing shotgun
shells. The two first named witnesses
testified that they did not furnish the
shells as they did not have in stock
shells loaded with sufficiently large
shot to suit the prospective purchaser.
Mr.. Martindale sold him shells con-
tanning 90 buckshot, loaded with 31z
drains of powder.
Deputy Sheriff Irvine McCarley was
called and told of Parker's confession
Of the affair when he placed him un-
der arrest on the day of the killing.
The defense produced no witnesses
except that the defendant himself
took the stand and told of the Incl
dents leading up to the shooting. He
told about contract existing between
himself and the dead man as to a
piece of land near the home of the
latter. He went to the Cannington
home on the day before the killing
and talked over the matter with Mr..
Cannington, but there was no salts
factory settlement of the affair. He
wrote two letters to Mr.. Cannington
about the matter, but got no replies.
He said that finding the stock of Mr..
Cannington in the field In dispute was
all the proof he needed that he (Can-
| nington) would kill him if his plans
were mterfered with. Parker admit
ted the purchase of the shells as indi-
Gated by a state witness. He admit
ted making the second trip near the
Cannington place before he saw Can
nington. He claims that when he ap-