In the early morning hours of July 31, 2022, a dispute over a parking spot in a Detroit neighborhood escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 39-year-old Toyake Dishelle Marshall-Thirkield. The female victim and Andre Willis, 38, were attending a birthday party and had parked their vehicle on Coyle Street. Their parking choice near the driveway of Winston Kirtley Jr.
sparked a heated argument.
The verbal confrontation took a deadly turn when Kirtley, in an agitated state, retrieved a high-powered rifle, described as either an AR-15 or an AK-47, from his home. He then opened fire on the vehicle occupied by Marshall-Thirkield and Willis, fatally wounding them both. The violence did not end there, as Kirtley continued to shoot from his residence, injuring six other individuals who were also at the nearby birthday celebration.
Following the shooting, law enforcement arrested Winston Kirtley Jr. and he was subsequently charged with a multitude of offenses, including two counts of first-degree murder, six counts of assault with intent to murder, and numerous felony firearm counts. During the legal proceedings, Kirtley's defense attorney suggested that he was in a confused state of mind and requested a psychological evaluation to assess his competency to stand trial.
Despite these claims, a Wayne County jury found Winston Kirtley Jr. guilty on all charges. The trial revealed that Kirtley had strategically placed multiple firearms throughout his house, suggesting a premeditated and calculated attack rather than a spontaneous act of self-defense as he had claimed. The prosecution successfully argued that his actions were a deliberate and violent response to the parking dispute. As a result of his conviction, Winston Kirtley Jr. was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
