Edward Joseph Parker.

Brittany Nicole Smith.

A detective recounted a Lawrence man’s confession to shooting a man on U.S. Highway 59 south of Lawrence during the preliminary hearing for the pair charged with attempted first-degree murder in the case.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jay Armbrister was the final witness to testify Thursday morning at the preliminary hearing for Brittany Smith, 22, and Edward Joseph “E.J.” Parker, 25. Armbrister said that on June 2, barely a week after the shooting, Parker confessed to shooting 24-year-old Skylar Workman on Memorial Day after Smith allegedly coerced him into the crime.

“He said if I gave him a cigarette and let him smoke it, he’d tell me what happened,” Armbrister said. “He said Smith had something to do with this incident but that he was going to have to take the fall.”

Armbrister testified that after he got a cigarette for Parker, Parker told him that on the day of the shooting Smith asked him if he would help her get in touch with her ex-boyfriend, Workman, and Parker went over to her apartment.

Armbrister told the court that Parker said Smith then gave him a handgun and said, “Shoot (Workman) and get my phone back.”

During testimony on Wednesday, Detective Scott Bonham of the sheriff’s office said Smith told him that Workman had a cellphone of Smith’s since their breakup in 2013.

Armbrister said Parker then took the gun in search of Workman while Smith texted the two men, trying to get Workman’s location so Parker could find him.

After searching for about half an hour, Parker was about to give up when he spotted Workman’s truck ahead of him driving south on Iowa Street, Armbrister said. Armbrister testified that Parker said he then followed the truck onto U.S. 59, positioned his vehicle in the truck’s blind spot and shot Workman.

“He said he fired the gun empty,” Armbrister said. “Mr. Parker said he didn’t want to kill Mr. Workman, just shoot to scare him.”

Detective Dean Ohman of the sheriff’s office testified Wednesday seven bullet holes were discovered in an 11-inch area around Workman’s driver’s side door.

Armbrister said Parker told him that he drove past Workman when Workman pulled to the side of the road. Parker then drove away, made a U-turn and drove back by Workman’s truck and saw that Workman was alive and moving inside the vehicle, Armbrister said.

Armbruster testified that during the interview, Parker said he then drove back into Lawrence to meet Smith at Broken Arrow Park and return the gun to her.

“He said Smith had originally discussed paying him money, but he was so freaked out and scared that he didn’t ask about it,” Armbrister said.

Armbrister said that Parker told him that Smith convinced him to commit the crime by saying that Workman was going to romance Parker’s fiancée – the mother of Parker’s child – and convince her to leave Parker.

“Smith told him that he was not going to get to be part of his son’s life,” Armbrister said. “Smith said Workman was going to move in on his fiancée.”

Before the preliminary trial concluded Thursday, Smith’s defense attorney, Courtney Henderson, argued for a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder rather than the attempted first-degree murder charge, but Judge Peggy Kittel refused the request. Smith and Parker will have a joint trial Sept. 15 on the charge of attempted first-degree murder.

After the hearing, Parker was arraigned on his charges and pleaded not guilty. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned and to enter a plea on Aug. 15.