Neighbor Indicted in Homicide, Arson Case

April 1, 2021 – A North Memphis man has been indicted for allegedly setting his neighbor’s car on fire and then shooting the neighbor as he came to investigate, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

Defendant L. A. Parrish, 53, was indicted on counts of first-degree murder, setting fire to personal property and convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held in the Shelby County Jail.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on July 2, 2020, in a neighborhood in the 1400 block of Lake Grove St. near Warford Street and Chelsea Avenue.

Witnesses said they saw Parrish with a pistol in one hand and a gas can in the other as he walked toward the home of neighbor, 51-year-old James Dowdy. They said Parrish poured gas on Dowdy’s car in the driveway, set it on fire, and then returned to his home nearby where he watched from his car.

When Dowdy came to inspect his burning car, Parrish walked up and shot him several times, witnesses said. Dowdy was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said there had been an ongoing dispute between the men.

Parrish drove away, but was arrested a short time later at a nearby residence.

The case is being handled by Chief Prosecutor Karen Cook of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit (SPU) in Criminal Court Division 8. SPU seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.