Retrial begins for man accused of killing 89-year-old woman in 2011

CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. — A 2011 murder case is being re-tried after a Crockett County judge declared a mistrial back in March.

Jury selection for accused killer Daniel Parker lasted until nearly 1 p.m. Monday before his retrial began.

“But in Aug. 4, 2011, she was murdered inside her own home,” Assistant District Attorney Hillary Parham said.

Parker faces charges of first-degree murder and murder in perpetration of a felony in the fatal shooting of 89-year-old Frances Lilley in 2011. The jury heard opening statements Monday from both sides.

“All of the proof in this case are pieces that slowly, one by one, each with their own weight, will begin to show you what happened and who did it,” Parham said.

Parker’s attorney told the jury the evidence doesn’t prove his client pulled the trigger.

“They were looking around for anything that might be a clue how this happened out in a rural area,” Parker’s defense attorney David Taylor said. “I’ll submit to you none of that indicates Daniel Parker was involved in this.”

Parker’s case was declared a mistrial in March after a witness couldn’t testify because they were in the hospital. Judge Clayburn Peeples urged the jurors to take all testimony into account during this case.

“You haven’t heard a single word of evidence yet,” Judge Peeples said. “You’re about to do that, but the attorneys’ statements are not evidence.”

Day two of the trial will continue at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The trial is expected to have two to three days of witness testimony.