BLACKSBURG MAN RECEIVES LIFE PRISON SENTENCE FOR MURDER CONVICTION

A Blacksburg man received a life prison sentence today for a fatal drive-by shooting.

Travis Parker, 28, was found guilty of murder at the conclusion of a three-day jury trial in Gaffney. The defendant will serve every day of Circuit Judge Roger Couch’s prison sentence. He is not eligible for parole.

Parker shot 27-year-old Moraine Foote to death on June 22, 2007. The victim sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his stomach about 5:20 p.m. while he stood outside of a home near the intersection of Marion and Sarratt Avenues. Parker fired the fatal gun shot from the passenger window of a passing car. Foote identified Parker as the shooter before he was rushed to the hospital. Two passengers in Parker’s car also identified the shooter to investigators.

Parker's criminal record includes a 1997 manslaughter conviction for which he served about 8 years of a 10-year prison sentence.

“The city of Gaffney is a better place with Travis Parker behind bars for the rest of his life,” Assistant Solicitor Mike Morin said.