Marcus Parsons Sentenced to 7 Years in Jack Snyder Case

More than three years after 17-year-old Jack Snyder was shot and killed in Battle Creek, another chapter in the criminal case has reached its conclusion.

Marcus Parsons was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison after pleading guilty in August to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the events that led to Snyder's death.

The judge also ordered Parsons to pay more than $17,400 in restitution.

Snyder was driving home on February 17, 2023, when he encountered two younger teenagers walking in cold weather and offered them a ride.

What began as an act of kindness ended in a fatal attempted carjacking.

Investigators said Parsons had been communicating with the two younger teens about stealing a vehicle for money.

Prosecutors said 14-year-old Justice Chimner shot Snyder twice while 13-year-old Dewond Estes III was also present.

Snyder's death stunned Battle Creek and left his family facing a loss they told the court continues to shape their lives.

Parsons was arrested in connection with the case and later charged with open murder, but that charge was dismissed when he accepted the involuntary manslaughter plea agreement.

The sentencing agreement called for seven years in prison, below the 15-year maximum available under the plea.

During sentencing, the court heard about Parsons' two young children and an ill mother, while Snyder's relatives emphasized the future their family believes Jack was denied.

Snyder's sister said he would have recently turned 21 and described plans he had made to attend Grand Valley State University and pursue work as an EMT.

For Snyder's family, the sentence closes another legal proceeding, but it does not erase the consequences of the night he stopped to help two teenagers.

The case has stretched across several years and involved separate proceedings for the people accused of participating in the attempted carjacking and shooting.

Justice Chimner previously pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison.

Parsons' sentencing addresses his own criminal responsibility for helping set the plan in motion rather than identifying him as the person who fired the fatal shots.

Q: What sentence did Marcus Parsons receive?

Parsons was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay more than $17,400 in restitution.

Q: What did Parsons plead guilty to?

He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in August, and the open murder charge against him was dismissed under the plea agreement.

Q: Why was Parsons connected to Jack Snyder's death?

Investigators said he communicated with the two younger teens about stealing a car for money before the attempted carjacking that ended with Snyder being shot.