Convictions on charges of murder and attempted murder would add to existing criminal backgrounds of the two men suspected of involvement in Sunday's shooting at an East Lansing 7-Eleven.
"It would be astounding for someone to be involved in a crime of this nature and not have a criminal past," said Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III. "These people are career criminals."
Detroit resident Eric Charles Gordy, 35, was charged with murder, attempted murder and fleeing from a police officer in connection with Sunday's incident.
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Gordy was convicted of assault in Kalamazoo County in 1989 and served almost 10 years behind bars. Carrie Klein, assistant prosecutor for Kalamazoo County, said she was not aware of Gordy's assault conviction because the court's database only has records dating back to 1994.
Klein found one conviction for Gordy in the records - driving on a suspended license - which occurred in 2002. The state corrections department had three previous drug charges on record in Ingham County for Detroit resident Hatarie Deamont McCorkle, 29, who was on parole prior to his arrest on Sunday. He also was charged with murder and attempted murder after his arrest Sunday, as well as a charge for being in possession of a felony firearm.
The third suspect in Sunday's shooting, 34-year-old Jamil Artez Spiller, is being held as a material witness on a $500,000 bond. He has not been charged with involvement in Sunday's incident.
Spiller also had previous drug charges in Ingham County and was on lifetime probation, corrections department records show. Dunnings said his parole conditions will determine if the incident will be a violation.
Because of the criminal pasts of Gordy and McCorkle, 54-B District Court Judge Richard Ball said on Tuesday they are considered habitual offenders, which could increase their sentences if they are convicted of Sunday's crimes. The convictions hold a sentence of up to life in prison. The two are being held in Ingham County Jail in Mason without bond.
The victims, Joseph Lavon Parker, 34, and George Edward Whitfield, 32, both of Lansing, were shot Sunday morning in the parking lot of 7-Eleven, 210 Michigan Ave.
Whitfield, who has had previous weapons charges in Ingham County, was shot in the stomach Sunday and released from Lansing's Sparrow Hospital on Monday.
Parker was shot several times and pronounced dead on Sunday at Sparrow Hospital.
Family members on Wednesday described Parker as a quiet man who liked to play sports. He had one son.
The investigation continued on Wednesday, and East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler said witnesses are being interviewed. A motive has not been determined.
Liebler said investigators believe the five men knew each other, but Parker's fiancee Latasha Horton said she doesn't believe that to be true.
"I've never seen them a day in my life," Horton said. "I don't understand why this happened. It just came out of the blue."
The two victims carried their own criminal records, according to the department of corrections.
Parker's past includes drug charges, carrying a concealed weapon and breaking and entering, all in Ingham County, and he had been on parole when he died.
"He had a past just like anybody else had a past," his sister Vickenia Parker said.
Police said they believe drugs might be involved in Sunday's incident, but Parker's family members have denied any drug involvement.
Sarah McEvilly can be reached at mcevilly@msu.edu.
