Man Acquitted in Murder of Former Drug Kingpin Alpo Martinez

Shakeem Parker, 30, was acquitted on Tuesday in New York City of the 2021 murder of former Lewiston resident Alpo Martinez. Alpo Martinez was infamous for his role in the 1980s crack epidemic, admitting to involvement in at least 14 murders in New York and Washington, D.C. Facing a possible death penalty, he struck a deal with prosecutors, serving 20 years in prison in exchange for testifying against another dealer in Washington, D.C.

Parker had spent two and a half years in jail awaiting trial for the murder of Martinez, a notorious drug kingpin who lived under the name Abraham Rodriguez while in the federal witness protection program.

Martinez,  was gunned down in Harlem on Halloween night, 2021, shortly after revealing his true identity and returning to his old neighborhood. Police alleged that Parker shot Martinez, once known as “the mayor of Harlem,” because of his reckless motorcycle riding in the area.

The trial details are sparse, but jury selection began in early June, and the trial proceeded intermittently over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, Parker was acquitted and released from jail after being tried in the Criminal Court of the City of New York, under Judge Daniel Conviser.