On the morning of 17th August 2023, police responded to reports of shots fired by residents in the area of Union Avenue and Adams Street SE. Upon arrival, they found Alicia Lofton’s dead body near a house in the 1400 block of Union Avenue. Her body featured numerous fatal gunshot wounds.
Alicia Lofton’s husband, Marcus, allegedly admitted to fatally shooting Alicia with her handgun
Alicia Danielle Lofton and Marcus Durayalle Lotfton were married in February 2023. Three months later, Alicia obtained a restraining order against Marcus after he was arrested on charges of domestic violence. On 16th August 2023, a day before her murder, Alicia served Marcus with divorce papers. She informed him she intended to sell the house and move on.
A day later, Marcus confronted Alicia at her home, contravening the restraining order. He told police after his arrest that he took a handgun from Alicia’s drawer during a heated argument. Marcus stated that he attempted to hit Alicia with the gun. It went off, he said, prompting Alicia to barricade herself in a bedroom.
Marcus said he breached the bedroom door and found Alicia trying to escape through a window. The accused killer stated he shot Alicia multiple times, leaving her for dead. “Marcus stated he shot Alicia numerous times before he fled in his maroon SUV,” the police affidavit reads. Kassie White, Alicia’s sister, told WOOD-TV, that she struggled to accept her sister’s death:
“Her best friend called me and was literally hysterical and I jumped up like, ‘What’s going on, what’s wrong?’ And she was saying my sister is gone, and I’m like, ‘What are you talking about, I just talked to my sister a couple of days ago.’ I’m just lost for words. I can’t cry. I’m cried out. This hits home.”7
Kassie said she was surprised that her sister was a victim of domestic violence. However, she claimed that domestic violence had gradually become common in Michigan. Kassie stated, “It was very shocking because I could never see that type of thing being something my sister would be dealing with. It’s becoming too common nowadays in Grand Rapids, let alone Michigan. It’s not fair, it’s not fair.”
An online rumor claims Alicia left Marcus after discovering his alleged affair with a man
Unverified social media posts allege that Alicia filed for divorce after obtaining evidence of Marcus’s affair with a man. Krista Smith, Marcus’s cousin, posted on the Facebook page Real Talks Help that she couldn’t comprehend why he killed Alicia:
“I don’t know what mentally happened to break my cousin to do this because he was a strong person with an amazing smile so I’m just hurt something broke you so bad . I hurt cause living with this gotta break u even more. knowing u failed your mom n kids n brother n family by losing control and losing your mind.”
Smith wrote that Marcus’s mom ‘raised him to love and protect women’. Marcus is held in jail without bond and is set to reappear in court on 5th September 2023.
Alicia leaves behind three children – one son and two daughters
Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom told WOOD-TV that children frequented Alicia’s residence. “Just talking to neighbors on scene here, they say that they see kids coming out of the house,” Winstrom stated.
Alicia had three kids – one son and two daughters – before she met and married Marcus Lofton. Faustino Redd Garcia Sr., the children’s uncle, started a GoFundMe page to support his nephew and nieces. The petition states that one child is in the last year of college, the other will soon be a college freshman, and the youngest one is in high school. It continues:
“I can’t put a dollar amount on it so I just chose an amount! Anything helps rather it’s $1 or $100! The community and village has spoken and now I’m creating a way for anyone who wants to contribute! So please let’s make this go viral just like this tragic story has because these children need us! Thank you!”