by GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Man Breaks Down in Tears While Describing Fatal Shooting of His Wife During Interrogation
Marcus Durayalle Lofton broke down in tears just minutes into a police interrogation as he recounted the moment he shot and killed his wife, Alicia Danielle Lofton.
“I don’t even know how many times I shot her,” Lofton told Grand Rapids detectives. “Once I started, I didn’t stop.”
Lofton, 43, is on trial this week in Kent County Circuit Court, facing charges of open murder and felony firearm in connection with his wife’s death on August 17, 2023. The shooting happened at their home on Union Avenue SE, just one day after Alicia served him with divorce papers.
Officers found Alicia’s body outside the home, lying in the grass next to a window she had tried to escape through.
A Rocky Marriage Turned Tragic
Prosecutors say the couple had a troubled relationship marked by frequent arguments. They had only been married for six months before Alicia filed for divorce.
On the morning of the shooting, the couple was arguing again. According to testimony, Marcus grabbed his wife’s pistol from a drawer and tried to hit her with it — but it went off. Alicia ran and locked herself in a bedroom, but Marcus kicked the door down while she was trying to climb out the window.
That’s when he shot her multiple times, prosecutors allege.
Inside the Interrogation Room
During the second day of trial on Tuesday, May 20, jurors watched a portion of Lofton’s two-and-a-half-hour interview with Grand Rapids police. The footage was emotional and laced with profanity.
Lofton said he loved his wife but felt overwhelmed by the state of their relationship. He claimed she often accused him of cheating and had drained his finances after he moved into her home.
He also told police he believed Alicia was secretly meeting with their realtor and planned to keep the money if they sold the house.
That morning, Lofton said he was packing up his belongings when Alicia told him to hurry up — for her “new man.” That’s when he snapped.
“I went and got the gun out the f—— drawer,” Lofton told detectives. “Everything was blurry. I couldn’t hear, couldn’t see. I had all this rage.”
Witness Testimony Continues
The prosecution’s final witness on Tuesday was lead detective Brandon Romero, who conducted the police interview. Court will resume Wednesday morning.
On Monday, jurors heard from two neighbors who heard the gunshots, as well as Grand Rapids officers who responded to the scene.
Sgt. Gregory Bauer, the first to arrive, described what he saw: “I could see blood splatter on the side of the house and some shell casings nearby. I checked for a pulse, but there was none.”
The trial continues in Judge Scott Noto’s courtroom.
