Email
Print
Jury convicts Parlee of murder
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: September 19, 2009
Joshua Parlee buried his head in his hands Friday after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and a drug charge.
Parlee, 20, will serve at least 17 years in prison. He was on trial for second-degree murder and sale/delivery of a controlled substance to a minor. He pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to sell/deliver a controlled substance.
Iredell Superior Court Judge Judge Joe Crosswhite consolidated the two drug charges and sentenced Parlee to a minimum of more than 17 years and a maximum of nearly 22 years.
Parlee was charged with selling oxymorphone, a powerful prescription painkiller, to two 15-year-old boys, one of whom died.
According to testimony in the week-long trial, Micael Lane took one half of a oxymorphone pill sometime on the night of Jan. 11 or early on Jan. 12, 2008, and was found dead later that morning.
The jury deliberated a little more than an hour Thursday and resumed Friday morning.
The jurors began discussing Parlee's fate at 9:30 a.m., broke for lunch around 12:30 p.m., and returned at 2:05 p.m. Ten minutes later, they returned with the verdict.
Thomas Lane, Micael's father, spoke to Crosswhite and the court prior to sentencing.
Displaying a large picture of Micael taken at his graduation from a school in Arizona, Lane said he wanted the judge and the public to see his son in a different light than has been portrayed in the trial.
"Micael has been put in a negative light," he said, referring to testimony that Micael smoked marijuana on the day of his death.
The Lanes moved to Mooresville less than two months before Micael's death, and in Arizona, he said, his son was an athlete and an honor student and was looking to follow in his dad's footsteps as a Marine.
Lane then showed a picture of Micael and his 3-year-old brother, Christopher.
He said Micael always promised to take care of Christopher if something happened to his parents.
"Who takes care of him now?" he said.
Lane said he was disturbed that during the past 18 months, Parlee never showed remorse and has been arrested since the murder charge was filed in May 2008.
Parlee's attorney, Ed Booker, acknowledged Parlee has several charges pending, but most are for traffic offenses, except one for possession of a weapon on school grounds after a knife was spotted on the seat of his car at school.
Parlee's father, David Parlee, said his son is sorry about what happened to Micael Lane.
"There is no way he knew what was going to happen by his actions," he said.
He said Joshua thinks about Micael every day, and regrets his role in Micael's death. "He knows he's done wrong," the elder Parlee said.
He expressed his own sympathy to the Lane family.
"As a father, I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child," he said.
As he walked past Thomas Lane, he said, "Mr. Lane, I am sorry for your loss."
Joshua Parlee also turned to Thomas Lane and offered an apology.
He said that he worked hard after spending 34 days in jail to make up the time so he could graduate with his class in 2008
"I prayed I could get out so I could graduate because I knew he wouldn't be able to," he said.
Thomas Lane spoke up and said, "You got busted the day you got out of jail."
David Parlee said he was disappointed with the verdict.
He said his son didn't know the dangers associated with the drug.
"I can't see him being charged with murder 2," Parlee said.
Lane said he hopes this case will open eyes about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
"Prescription drugs are nothing for anyone to mess with unless they have been prescribed," he said.
Crosswhite told the Lanes he hopes Micael's death will serve as a wake-up call for parents and teens.
"One act has forever changed these two families," he said. "My hope is that your son's death will not be a complete loss."
Joshua Parlee has a number of minor offenses, from consumption of alcohol by a minor to possession of a weapon on educational property to traffic infractions like speeding, driving while license is revoked and failure to wear seat belt pending.
His mother, Victoria Brown, is facing trial on charges of possession with intent to sell/deliver/manufacture controlled substance and sale/delivery of a controlled substance in this case.
Prosecutors said she provided the oxymorphone to her son. Her trial date has not yet been set.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
