The Arapahoe County district attorney will not seek the death penalty against one of three men accused of killing a witness and his fiancée two years ago.
District attorney spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said prosecutors will formally announce their decision not to seek the death penalty against Parish Carter, 25, at a hearing this morning. She could not comment because there is a gag order in the case.
In March, a doctor at the state mental hospital ruled that Carter was competent to stand trial in the killing of witness Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe.
The district attorney’s office said in a statement that the “case did not meet the criteria for the death penalty.”
Carter’s attorney, Randy Canney, declined to comment Tuesday. He did say that he will not contest the court’s findings about his client’s competency.
At a previous hearing, Canney said Carter has an IQ of 64 and has been classified as being mentally retarded based on testing in high school.
Carter, Sir Mario Owens and Robert Ray face murder charges in the death of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe. The couple were killed in June 2005 as they were driving down an Aurora street. Marshall-Fields was set to testify against Ray and Owens in a killing at a park a year earlier.
District Attorney Carol Chambers already has announced that if convicted, she will seek the death penalty against Owens and Ray.
Ray and Owens are serving long prison sentences for the shooting death of Gregory Vann at Lowry Park on July 4, 2004.
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
