Trent Thomas Parkerson

Trent Thomas Parkerson was a caring and generous young man, known for a contagious smile and a talent for lightening any situation with a perfectly timed joke. Born on February 27, 2002, in West Monroe, Louisiana, the 18-year-old was the youngest son of Charles “Tink” and Kathy Parkerson and a beloved brother to Zane. A senior at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama, Trent was a doer, someone who sprang into action when he saw a need. He played defensive end on the varsity football team and was also a member of the wrestling team. He worked at Target and volunteered with school football camps, the Special Olympics, and with special needs groups at Urban Air, possessing a natural ability to connect with children. Trent, who was a member of the Church of the Highlands, had been accepted into the Mercedes Benz Megatronics Internship program at Shelton State Community College and was set to attend in the fall. He was devoted to his family, enjoying hunting, fishing, and riding dirt bikes with them, and he never left home without telling his mother he loved her.

In the pre-dawn hours of April 1, 2020, Trent’s life was cut short. Around 3:20 a.m., police were called to a home in the 7600 block of Happy Hollow Road, north of Deerfoot Parkway. Arriving officers found Trent inside his locked vehicle, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound. The 911 call had been made by his friend and football teammate, 17-year-old Steven Chase Lafoy.

Investigators from the Trussville Police Department determined that Trent and Lafoy had been involved in a physical altercation over an alleged theft just before the shooting. Police believe that as Trent was attempting to leave the scene in his car, Lafoy fired a rifle, fatally wounding him. Detective Ben Short stated that Lafoy was taken into custody at the scene without incident and cooperated with the investigation. A rifle was recovered from the home.

The death of the popular high school senior devastated the community. “We are devastated and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Trent Parkerson, a member of our Husky football family,” Hewitt-Trussville football head coach Josh Floyd said in a statement. “We are praying for the families impacted by this tragedy. Our coaches have reached out to the other members of our team and are committed to working with them through the grieving process.” One of his coaches recalled Trent’s positive influence, saying “he invested valuable time in children and that because of his influence a part of him will live on in kids that you and I don’t even know.”

Steven Chase Lafoy, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with capital murder. He was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail and held on a $500,000 bond, which he later posted. As a condition of his bond, he was not permitted to possess a firearm. In September 2020, after a preliminary hearing, a judge ordered the case to be sent to a grand jury.

In May 2022, Steven Chase Lafoy pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of felony murder. He was sentenced to serve 25 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections for the killing of his friend and classmate.

A memorial service for Trent was held on July 11, 2020, at Life Church of Columbia in Louisiana, where his family had roots. His obituary remembered him as a leader with a love in his heart to serve and take care of others. "Trent was truly a special young man who touched the lives of those around him," it read. "His memory will live on in the lives of those he touched in so many different ways." His family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the benevolent fund at Life Church of Columbia.