A Sioux City man, Nathaniel Parker III, who was recently acquitted of a murder charge, was found intoxicated and partially naked while attempting to climb a fire escape. Parker had been in jail since his arrest and was released after the acquittal. Sioux City Journal reported
Sioux City experienced a shocking incident when Nathaniel Parker III, a man who had just been acquitted of a murder charge, was found climbing up a fire escape while intoxicated, partially naked, and with a minor stab wound. Parker, 31, was immediately taken into custody and charged with public intoxication as a simple misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty and received a one-day suspended jail sentence.
Prior to this incident, Parker had been on trial for the murder of William Harlan Jr., who was fatally stabbed in the back seat of a car that Parker was riding in. Although Parker was initially charged with first-degree murder, which carries a life sentence without parole, the jury found him guilty of assault causing bodily injury instead. This lesser charge is a serious misdemeanor that could result in a one-year jail sentence.
Parker had been in jail since his arrest on February 24. However, after the verdict was announced, District Judge Jeffrey Neary ordered Parker’s release on his own recognizance until the sentencing hearing on November 21. Parker was released from custody at around 2 p.m.
Shortly after his release, police officers received a call at 4:38 a.m. reporting a partially naked man climbing a fire escape in the 500 block of Ninth Street. It was later confirmed that the man was Parker. Officers noticed that he had a facial injury and a minor stab wound on his back, but Parker refused to disclose what had happened to him. He agreed to a breath test, which revealed his blood alcohol content to be 0.206%, well above the legal limit of 0.08%. Parker was then taken to the hospital for treatment and subsequently booked into jail.
During Parker’s murder trial, the jury deliberated for approximately eight hours over two days before reaching a verdict. The defense attorney, John Loos, argued that the state had no concrete evidence proving Parker’s involvement in the murder of Harlan. Loos urged the jury not to make assumptions where there was a lack of evidence. On the other hand, Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis presented circumstantial evidence and highlighted Parker’s suspicious actions that night, which strongly pointed to him as the killer. Loomis emphasized that all the evidence clearly indicated Parker’s guilt.
Harlan, 48, was found with multiple stab wounds in an apartment on 11th Street and later died at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center. The autopsy revealed that Harlan had been stabbed five times, three of which were in the chest, with one puncturing his left lung and severing his aorta. Harlan’s injuries indicated a brutal and violent attack.
Furthermore, it was discovered that two weeks prior to his murder trial, Parker had pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. He admitted to possessing less than 1 gram of methamphetamine on the night Harlan died. This possession charge is also a serious misdemeanor that carries a potential one-year jail sentence.
The incident involving Parker’s reckless behavior and his stabbing wound after being acquitted of a murder charge has left the community of Sioux City in shock and raised concerns about public safety. The upcoming sentencing hearing will determine the consequences Parker will face for his assault conviction and possession charge..