74-year-old ‘Mama Dean’ acted in self defense in fatal Trenton laundromat shooting, attorney says

The 74-year-old woman and her acquaintance charged in a fatal shooting last week at a Trenton laundromat were acting in self-defense against gang members when they took turns firing shots at a 21-year-old man, ultimately killing him, their defense attorneys argued Wednesday.

Eudean McMillan, of Trenton, also known as “Mama Dean," is charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses as an accomplice in the killing of 21-year-old Geovahnie FanFan. Prosecutors say McMillan opened fire on Sept. 16 against a group of men at a Chambers Street laundromat who were attacking 37-year-old Trenton man Darryl Parker.

Parker then took the gun from McMillan and fired additional shots at FanFan, authorities say. Parker is charged with murder and weapons offenses. A 15-year-old boy related to McMillan also shot at the victim multiple times and is charged with murder and weapons offenses, authorities said.

McMillan’s attorney Mark Fury argued that his client was defending her 15-year-old relative against gang members who have harmed her family in the past. The 15-year-old was in the process of being jumped inside the laundromat, Fury said.

Fury said he did not yet know what sparked the group to attack Parker at the entrance of the Liberty III Laundromat.

In court Wednesday, Fury said a 30 to 40 second surveillance video of the incident would show McMillan and Parker were protecting themselves. Parker’s attorney, Jason Matey, made the same claim.

“Should she have had a gun? Maybe not. But if she hadn’t, maybe her [loved ones] would be dead,” Fury said after the hearing. “We have social media evidence of the predatory nature of these guys that came after her loved ones. They’ve had friends and family members killed by this group before, beaten up by this group before. So she had a justifiable fear for herself.”

Eudean McMillan

74-year-old Eudean McMillan, also known as "Mama Dean" appears in Superior Court of Mercer County in Trenton on Sept. 25, 2019.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med

McMillan sat silently in a wheelchair next to her lawyer throughout her five-minute hearing. FanFan’s family sat in the gallery and declined to comment on the case.

The prosecutor’s office has said said the surveillance video shows McMillan leaving the laundromat before the beating began and returning with a handgun. She shot at the attackers as they fled the building, authorities said. FanFan hid in the laundromat’s office area, authorities said, while a 16-year-old was hit by gunfire.

McMillan then handed her gun to Parker, who walked to an open counter near the office and fired at FanFan through a large window, authorities said.

As Parker and McMillan were leaving the building, the 15-year-old took the gun and again fired at FanFan multiple times as he lay on the ground, authorities said. All three fled in the same car.

McMillan was identified on the security video by Trenton police Sgt. Anthony Manzo, who was one of the first to arrive to the scene and recognized McMillan from a July 2016 arrest. McMillan was allegedly peddling pills out of her Chestnut Avenue home and protecting her stash with a shotgun and .38 caliber handgun, according to media reports at the time.

“It would be beneficial for the court to see that video,” Judge Thomas. M Brown said.

Parker and McMillan’s detention hearings were adjourned to allow prosecutors to submit the surveillance video. They will appear in court again on Friday.

'Mama Dean' and Darryl Parker in court

Darryl Parker, right, speaks with defense attorney Jason Matey in Superior Court of Mercer County in Trenton on Sept. 25, 2019.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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