CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The man charged in a 2022 east Charlotte car robbery and killing has pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the death of Ahylea Willard.
According to Mecklenburg County court records, Tyquawon Parker, 30, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the crime occurred the morning of Oct. 23, 2022, at an apartment complex off Idlewild Road North. Officers found Ahylea Willard, 32, in a grassy area suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined Parker stole Willard’s jewelry and her Mercedes-Benz C250 after the shooting. Authorities alleged Parker held Willard at gunpoint, demanded her vehicle, and shot her. Family members said at the time that Willard did not know Parker.
Parker was sentenced to a maximum of 19 years in prison. The robbery and firearm charges were consolidated into the murder sentence, and his armed habitual felon charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Although Parker has been in the Mecklenburg County Jail since Nov. 28, 2022, he was not credited with time served toward a reduced sentence.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Austin Butler.
