Atlanta man gets life in death of longtime friend over $35; victim's wife speaks out

An Atlanta man will spend the rest of his life being bars after being found guilty of shooting his friend over $35, prosecutors said.

Rickey Carter, 65, was found guilty Tuesday of killing 48-year-old Quinlan Parker on Jan. 28, 2022, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced in a news release. Carter was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to the release.

Dekalb County police found Parker with a single gunshot wound to the chest after getting a call about shots fired at an apartment in unincorporated Decatur, Georgia, the district attorney's office said.

Parker's wife, Crystal, told investigators that Carter began knocking on their door shortly after her husband returned home. Carter, a "longtime friend" of Parker's, was allowed in and an argument ensued over money that Parker had borrowed a few weeks earlier, the prosecutor's office said.

Parker's then-12-year-old stepdaughter came out of her room after hearing yelling and began recording the argument on her cellphone, the prosecutor's office said. Crystal Parker then told authorities that Carter pulled out a small black handgun before she heard a gunshot, according to the news release.

Rickey Carter claimed self-defense before guilty verdict, prosecutors say

Carter told investigators that he shot Parker in self-defense, but cellphone video showed Parker backing away from the 48-year-old before he fired the fatal shot, the district attorney's office said.

Once Carter left the home, Crystal Parker attempted to perform CPR on her husband but he did not survive.

Carter was sentenced to life plus five years in prison.

Carter's defense attorney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Wednesday.

'It was such a relief,' Crystal Parker says about hearing the guilty verdict

It took two years for Parker's family to get justice and closure in the case, but now the healing can begin, Parker's wife, Crystal, told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

"It was such a relief," she said about the guilty verdict. "It was the craziest feeling because we have been fighting for so long."

Crystal and her daughter, who is now 15, testified against Carter after witnessing the crime.

"If it wasn't for my daughter videoing it, it would have probably been a fight (in court)," Crystal said. "When you're a witness you have to remember everything just to make sure you get justice whenever it does happen."

Not hearing any remorse from Carter during the trial "was crazy," she said.

"It's hurtful to know you did it," she said. "It's not even an if, and or but. You did it and we're sitting here fighting against you. Say 'I'm guilty' and just take it, he never did that."

Crystal said it's a "huge weight off" to have the case over. She and Parker had only been married a month before his murder, she said.

"I think a lot of people had broken hearts," Crystal said. "We were still in our honeymoon stage."

Parker was 'larger than life,' his wife says

Crystal described her husband as "larger than life," which was not a comment on his 6-foot-5 and 270-pound frame.

"He loved all family and friends," Crystal said. "He was the only person I knew that could keep up with people ... You might have about three or four friends you talk to on a daily basis but this man would keep up with 40 to 60 people he'd call once a week."

Crystal called Parker a "strong guy," a "man's man" and a "protector."

"Even in that situation, he was trying to do everything he could because me and (his stepdaughter) were in the house," Crystal said. "We are still here, so I say he did what he did to make sure that we would be OK."

Crystal also said Carter's family expressed how they're sorry about his crime and "heartbroken" about the entire situation.

"I guess that's the part that helps me forgive the situation because sometimes it's just one bad apple," Crystal said.