Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the guilty pleas of SHAUN MCCLAM, 41, and LUIS ROMAN, 29 for fatally shooting 37-year-old Timothy “TJ” Parker in a dispute over drug sales. MCCLAM pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to Murder in the Second Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree. Under the terms of his plea, he is expected to be sentenced to a promised term of 20 years-to-life in state prison on the Murder charge and 12 ½ – 25 years on the Conspiracy charge to run concurrently. ROMAN pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to Manslaughter in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree. Under the terms of his plea, he is expected to be sentenced to a promised term of 13 years in state prison on the Manslaughter charge and 5-15 years in state prison on the Conspiracy charge to run concurrently. Both defendants are expected to be sentenced on March 14, 2025.
The case against co-defendant TERRENCE HAYNES remains open and pending. [1]
“Shaun McClam and Luis Roman have been held accountable for carrying out a coordinated and deadly act of violence that tragically cut short Timothy Parker’s life,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Today’s guilty pleas and promised prison sentences send a clear message that it is never acceptable to use illegal firearms to commit harm. Furthermore, NYCHA residents deserve to live without being terrorized by gun violence and criminal conduct, and we will continue to coordinate with law enforcement and local leaders to keep our communities safe.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, in September 2022, the defendants and victim all lived in or near NYCHA’s George Washington Houses in East Harlem. HAYNES, who was incarcerated at the time, had an ongoing dispute with Mr. Parker over drugs and money that he claimed Mr. Parker owed him through a drug dealing operation. HAYNES allegedly asked MCCLAM and ROMAN to help him retaliate against Mr. Parker over a series of jail phone calls.
In the days leading up to the shooting, HAYNES allegedly grew increasingly upset that Mr. Parker was not picking up his calls and on October 1, 2022, he allegedly told another co-conspirator to threaten Mr. Parker and that if he didn’t give him “everything” immediately, Mr. Parker would “get his head bust.”
As admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, on October 21 and 22, 2022, MCCLAM used his cell phone to video the hallway of Mr. Parker’s apartment building and Mr. Parker himself.
On October 24, 2022, ROMAN retrieved a gun from another individual and gave it to MCCLAM. ROMAN also discussed the plan to shoot Mr. Parker with MCCLAM.
At approximately 10:15 p.m., MCCLAM wore a black wig, disguised himself as a delivery worker and rode an e-bike to Mr. Parker’s building. MCCLAM circled the building and walked through the lobby multiple times over the next several hours, at one point passing Mr. Parker, all while changing his appearance two more times.
On October 25, 2022, at approximately 2:30 a.m., MCCLAM shot Mr. Parker outside of his apartment in the body and head, killing him. Immediately after the shooting, MCCLAM and ROMAN shared information from CitizenApp about the incident and celebrated. In one instance, MCCLAM sent text messages that ROMAN could “get some good rest now” and “sleep good.”
Assistant D.A.s Daniel Makofsky (Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 80) and Sean Flatow (Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit) are handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Supervising Major Case Analyst Jesse Hixon offered invaluable assistance in the investigation.
D.A. Bragg thanked the detectives and supervisors of the NYPD’s 23rd Precinct Detective Squad and the Manhattan North Homicide and Shooting Enhancement Team, especially Sergeant Tyler Conner, William Dunn, Edward Stackpole, and Paul Pastorini.
Defendant Information:
SHAUN MCCLAM
New York, NY
Convicted:
- Murder in the Second Degree, an A-I felony, one count
- Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
LUIS ROMAN
New York, NY
Convicted:
- Manslaughter in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.