Updated: Teenager accused of a Lexington murder was on parole after prior robbery
Two people have been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Lexington gas station last weekend.
Lexington police said Tuesday night that Marquan King, 19, had been arrested and charged with murder, second-degree assault and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting Friday night at the Marathon station in the 300 block of North Martin Luther King Boulevard.
A second man, Lamont Clayborne, 21, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Surveillance footage captured King in the area of the shooting at the time it occurred, according to court documents. It shows King approach the victims, shoot them then flee on foot.
Clayborne was observed fleeing from police with an ankle monitor that had been removed, according to court documents.
The coroner’s office said Justin Cooke, 43, was pronounced dead at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital as a result of the shooting Friday night. Police said a woman was also shot and was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
It was Lexington’s second homicide of 2023.
King and Clayborne were being held in the Fayette County Detention Center, police said. Clayborne was later discharged from jail via administrative release, according to court records.
Murder suspect was on parole in robbery case
King was previously convicted of second-degree robbery but was out on parole when he allegedly killed Cooke, according to state records.
In April 2019 King and another individual were arrested and charged with first degree robbery after being pulled over by police in a stolen vehicle, according to court documents. The other individual admitted to stealing the car with King and a handgun was found in the glove compartment of the vehicle.
In December 2019, King accepted a plea agreement that amended his first degree robbery charge down to second degree robbery and dismissed an additional charge of possessing a handgun as a minor, according to court documents. Approximately four months later, King was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
King was granted parole in April 2021 and released from prison, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections’ website. As a person convicted of a Class C felony that didn’t involve death or physical injury, King was eligible for parole after serving 20% of his sentence, according to state law. He was scheduled to be on parole until June 2026.
In a statement to the Herald-Leader, the Kentucky Parole Board said the decision to grant King parole “was made in compliance with Kentucky law and in effort to maintain a delicate balance between public safety, victim rights, successful reintegration of the offender and reducing recidivism.”
While out on parole, King was also charged in November 2021 with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to court records. He was indicted on the charge in January 2022 but released from jail after posting bond.
His next court date for that case was scheduled for next week, according to court records.
Court records indicate Kind was released on bond with certain conditions, including electronic ankle monitoring.
This story was originally published March 21, 2023 at 10:19 PM.
