Alyssa Lokits, a Vanderbilt alumnus, was slain in Nashville, Tennessee, while on trial.
The suspected murderer chatted to the woman who was walking on the Nashville path when 34-year-old Alyssa Lokits was shot and murdered, even sticking behind to watch police work at the site, she told Fox News Digital.
Nashville local Shannon Howard, a frequent visitor to the Mill Creek Greenway, recounted her experience on the path on October 14, the day Lokits, a Vanderbilt graduate, was killed, and her run-in with Paul Park, the probable murderer.
In the evenings, I often take a stroll along the Greenway. Bicycling, strolling, running, bringing children, and bringing dogs are all common activities. And I pushed myself to leave the house even though I had postponed my stroll by around fifteen minutes that day,” Howard said.
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Howard claimed to have seen Lokits while on the route, “laying on the ground, kind of in the fetal position.”
According to Howard, commotion broke out as residents of the Lokits area anxiously dialed 911 and pleaded with emergency personnel to get at their place as quickly as possible. She said that she stayed away and was unaware that Lokits had been shot.
When she got to her car, Howard claimed she knew a back way out of the park, but there were many police cars with lights on and crime scene tape being set up.
I knew there was an exit at the far back of that area that led back into the greenway, so I turned and headed up to a neighborhood that I wasn’t quite acquainted with. While I was doing that, a gray automobile with a downed window and a rather sluggish ride came up next me. “Do you know what happened?” he said as I turned to gaze at him. “You know, I’m not entirely sure what happened,” I said. “Someone was seriously injured,” Howard remarked.
He then kind of approaches me, grinned, and continued to ride beside me. He was attempting to speak to me when I got a clear view of him, and I thought, “You know what? I’m simply going to leave. “Well, you know, hopefully everything will be OK,” I said. Howard went on, “And I put my headphones back on, and he kind of rode with me a little bit further.”
According to Howard, the man—whom she thinks is Park—kept trying to speak to her and inquired about the situation, even smiling, but she became uncomfortable and interrupted him, and he left right away.
He was wearing sunglasses when I subsequently witnessed them removing him from the police vehicle after they had taken him into custody. “Wow, that guy looks exactly like the one who stopped me,” I thought. “And I dropped my phone when I saw his mugshot because I knew that was him,” Howard remarked.
“He was attempting to communicate with me. He was curious as to what had transpired. And as he spoke to me, it seemed as though a light was shining in his eyes. And to tell the truth, it made me feel a little queasy.”
Howard claimed to have a hunch that something wasn’t right with Park.
Howard went on to say that she was furious because Park was supposedly standing around to see the entire thing play out and even grinned about it.
“No emotion was present. Howard remarked, “It was almost like he was proud because he wanted to stay and see all the police cars.” “She only experienced terror in her final moments. And it infuriated me that he not only had the gall to do that, but actually smirked about it and attempted to speak with me or contact someone to obtain further information. He took pride in it. I got the impression that way.
According to Howard, she has grown enraged over time that someone could carry out this act in their neighborhood during the day when families and children were around.
“He abducted a really lovely girl who, I’m sure, had a bright future in front of her. Furthermore, he was not authorized to do so. She didn’t need to be shot. None of it was required of him. And the rage still strikes a chord with me.
The Mill Creek Greenway, according to Howard, is a calm, about three-mile walk that many like, albeit it is frequently crowded with families and children.
But according to her, the trail’s second half is completely covered with trees and lacks lighting and security cameras. “There’s even a sign that says the greenway is closed at dusk,” she said.
“He won’t prevent us from taking our walks. He will not prevent us from using the Greenway. This one isn’t his to win. And we’re not going to allow him or anybody like him scare us away,” Howard continued, referring to all the families in our area.
“It is a monster. It’s only a monster, after all. And he is just that. He is a coward. Her purported murderer. He’s a monster and a coward, but I don’t want to be the judge and jury. And it is enough for us. “On such a lovely pathway, nobody should feel unsafe,” Howard added.
According to Howard, many of the women on the Greenway are now more conscious of their surroundings and attentive while using headphones while hiking as a result of Lokits’ murder.
“Nashville is a great city with great people. We don’t want this to be the case in our city, but as a resident of Nashville, I have witnessed numerous changes. The monsters win when people give in to their dread. I refuse to let them prevail. I now wear my ‘Walk for Alyssa’ tee whenever I go for a walk, and I’m doing it for her,” Howard remarked.
Less than twenty-four hours after Lokits was discovered dead on the Mill Creek Greenway route, Park, 29, of Brentwood, was taken into custody.
Although authorities have not disclosed a reason for the incident, Park was charged with criminal murder in relation to Lokits’ passing. We were unable to get in touch with his lawyer for comment.
