In a courtroom heavy with grief and anger, Marcus Durayalle Lofton, 44, stood silent as a Kent County judge sentenced him to 25-50 years in prison for the cold-blooded murder of his wife, Alicia Danielle Lofton. The tragedy, which unfolded on August 17, 2023, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, shocked a community and left a family shattered. Lofton’s crime—shooting Alicia 15 times as she desperately tried to escape through a bedroom window—came just one day after she served him divorce papers, marking the violent end to a marriage that lasted a mere six months.

The couple’s relationship was marred by toxicity from the start. Married in February 2023, Marcus and Alicia’s union was fraught with conflict, including a domestic violence incident in May 2023 that led to Marcus’s arrest and a court-ordered no-contact mandate. Despite this, Alicia, 38, took steps to reclaim her life, serving Marcus with divorce papers on August 16 and planning to sell their shared home. But her courage cost her everything. On that fateful morning, an argument erupted as Marcus packed his belongings. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Alicia’s Glock pistol from a drawer, intending to strike her. He claimed the gun went off accidentally, but what followed was no accident. As Alicia fled to a bedroom and locked the door, Marcus forced his way in. Finding her attempting to climb out a window to safety, he unleashed a barrage of 15 gunshots, striking her in the head, shoulder, and thigh. Her lifeless body was found on the lawn outside their Union Avenue home, discovered by police after neighbors reported gunfire.

Alicia’s family, devastated by her loss, confronted Marcus in court with raw emotion. Her father, Arthur Joseph, stared him down, his voice trembling with fury as he branded Marcus “a piece of garbage” and a “despicable coward.” He revealed that Alicia had kept her marriage a secret, knowing her family despised Marcus. “She hid getting married to this bastard because she knew we despised his ass,” Joseph said, his words echoing the betrayal felt by those who loved Alicia. Her aunt, Jennifer Lee, spoke of their sister-like bond, lamenting that she would have fought Alicia’s choice to marry Marcus had she known. “I feel that he wasn’t introduced to the family because he’s an embarrassment,” she said, her voice thick with sorrow. Alicia’s daughter, Brooklyn, delivered a gut-wrenching statement, her words piercing the courtroom as she spoke of her mother missing her college graduation—a milestone stolen by Marcus’s actions. “For the longest time, I kept emailing her,” Lee shared, confessing she sent messages to Alicia’s account as a way to cope, knowing her niece would never read them.

The trial process was grueling. Marcus initially faced an open murder charge, which could have led to a first-degree murder conviction and life without parole. His first trial in May 2025 ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict, prolonging the family’s anguish. Rather than face a second trial, Marcus pleaded guilty in July to second-degree murder and a felony firearm charge, securing a plea deal that set his sentence at 25-50 years for the murder, plus two years for the firearm violation, to be served consecutively. With 721 days of credit for time served, Marcus, now 44, will spend decades behind bars—if not the rest of his life.

In court, Marcus chose not to speak, offering no explanation or apology. His attorney claimed he expressed “sorrow and remorse,” but Alicia’s family found little comfort in those words. Judge Scott A. Noto, presiding over the sentencing, kept his remarks brief, agreeing with Arthur Joseph’s searing assessment: “Mr. Joseph said it best.” The judge’s restraint did little to mask the weight of the moment, as deputies led Marcus away to begin his sentence.

Alicia’s loved ones, while relieved by the conviction, insisted no prison term could mend their broken hearts. Her three children—her eldest daughter in her final year of college, her son just starting college, and her youngest daughter still in high school—now face a future without their mother’s warmth and guidance. A GoFundMe launched by family friend Faustino Garcia has raised over $6,400 to support them, a small gesture amid an unfathomable loss. “They’re trying to stay levelheaded,” Garcia said, noting the cruel timing of Alicia’s death just as her children prepared for a new school year.

The case also spotlighted the couple’s troubled history. Court records revealed Marcus’s prior convictions for gun and drug offenses dating back to 2000, painting a picture of a man with a volatile past. Unconfirmed rumors swirled online, suggesting Alicia discovered Marcus in a compromising situation, possibly fueling her decision to file for divorce. Whatever the truth, her attempt to break free ended in tragedy, a stark reminder of the dangers of domestic violence.

As Marcus Lofton begins his decades-long sentence, Alicia’s family clings to her memory—a vibrant mother, sister, and daughter whose life was cut short by a man she once loved. Her father’s words linger: “He just doesn’t know what he’s done to our family.” For Alicia’s loved ones, justice has been served, but the pain of her absence will endure far beyond the walls of any prison.