OXFORD, Miss., Dec. 18 (UPI) — A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi prison gang was sentenced to life in prison in federal court on Friday after being convicted of murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and racketeering, federal prosecutors said.
Eric Glenn Parker, 36, of Forrest County, Mississippi, was a leader of the brotherhood in Mississippi who prosecutors said dealt methamphetamine and, along with other members of the gang, conspired to lure a man with an unpaid drug debt to their home, where they abducted him. Parker and three other suspects were convicted for their roles in abducting the man, killing him and burning his body, according to Felicia C. Adams, U.S. attorney of the northern district of Mississippi.
Parker was the last of the defendants to face sentencing, bringing an end to a 14-month investigation by the Justice Department, federal, state and local law enforcement into the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi’s criminal activities.
Parker’s co-defendant at trial, Frank George Owens, Jr., 44, also was sentenced to life in prison on Nov. 2.
Adams credited the work of law enforcement and prosecutors at all levels of government for bringing members of the whites-only gang to justice.
“This prosecution is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the Department of Justice, federal, state and local law enforcement officers targeting a large-scale prison gang involved in violent organized crime throughout the state of Mississippi,” Adams said. “As a result of this collaborative effort, we have effectively dismantled this violent organization and sent a clear message that the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners have an unwavering commitment to hold those individuals accountable who insist on creating an atmosphere of violence and fear in our communities.”
