Autopsy of Teen Under Review in Pharmacy Murder Trial

By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has requested a re-examination of a high-profile homicide.

The spokesperson for the Medical Examiner's Office said Prater requested pathologist Dr. Chai Choi to review the autopsy and case of 16-year-old Antwun Parker on Tuesday.

Parker died after being shot in the attempted robbery of Reliable Pharmacy last year. The pharmacist, Jerome Ersland, is charged with murdering Parker. The first-degree murder charge drew national attention and debate about self-defense.

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said that Ersland was justified in shooting Antwun Parker once in the head. But Prater said Ersland went too far when he shot Parker five more times in the abdomen while Parker lay unconscious on the floor.

The autopsy was performed last May by Dr. Collie Trant who indicated the shot to the head was not fatal. Trant was fired by the Board of Medicolegal Investigations in February 2010. Trant is now fighting to get his job back and said he was terminated after being a whistleblower on problems within the Medical Examiner's office. His termination has led to more questions surrounding an already embattled Medical Examiner's office about how it will affect cases Trant worked on.

Read Antwun Parker's autopsy report by Dr. Collie Trant

Had Ersland's first shot been fatal, he would not face charges under Oklahoma's Stand Your Ground Law, Prater said.

Ersland's attorney Irven Box said the request for a re-examination is a joint one between him and the D.A.

"We want someone we can talk to since Trant is no longer working. In particular, I want someone who hasn't been accused of wrongdoing to look at the facts of this case," Box said. "When they pulled his ski mask off, brain matter fell on the floor. For him saying it was nonfatal, I just didn't think it was credible at all."

It's unclear how long it will take before Dr. Choi's review is completed.

Ersland's trial is on the docket for June 21. NEWS 9 will have a camera in the courtroom.

More on News9.com:
- New Evidence Raises Questions in Pharmacist's Case
- Judge Grants Permission for Pharmacist's Trial to be Televised
- Teen Pharmacy Robber Killed by Additional Shots
- Pharmacist Did Not Enter Plea During Arraignment
- Judge Upholds Subpoena of Pharmacist's Military Records
- Pharmacist Charged With Murder Returns to Work
- Pharmacist Defends Actions on National TV
- More Charges Filed in Pharmacy Shooting
- Judge's Life Threatened Over Pharmacy Case
- Second Pharmacy Robbery Suspect Arrested
- Pharmacist Released from Jail on Bail
- Pharmacist Charged With Murder After Shooting Robber
- Employee Shoots at Robbers: 1 Killed, 1 at Large
- Read the text of Oklahoma's Stand Your Ground Law