Tasha Parsons is led from court following a hearing Tuesday afternoon in which she entered a guilty plea to the June 2011 murder of her son, Devin. (GREENSBURG DAILY NEWS Photo)
GREENSBURG, Indiana — (DMN) – An Indiana woman who killed her 12-year old son for hiding dope has been found guilty. 30-year old Tasha Parsons appeared in the Decatur County Superior Court in Greensburg, Indiana last Tuesday afternoon before Judge Matthew Bailey, formally pleading guilty to the June 2011 murder of her 12-year-old son, Devin. The agreement marks an unexpected turning point in the year-old case. The Greensburg Daily News reports that Before Tuesday’s plea, Parsons’ trial had been reset multiple times, indicating her intent to fight the charges, which, in addition to murder, included neglect of a dependent. Her most recent trial date was Aug. 13.
According to court documents, as part of the agreement, the neglect of a dependent charge will be dropped. Additionally, the state will also withdraw life imprisonment without parole as a punishment, leaving Parsons eligible for early release. The plea agreement stipulates that Parsons shall receive “a total sentence of 60 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections.” Parsons also faces monetary fines. To be certain she understood the agreement and that she’d been appropriately advised of its legal ramifications, Judge Bailey reviewed its most significant stipulations with Parsons during the hearing.
The defendant listened intently, confirming in a low, monotone voice, that yes, she understood the agreement; yes, she had reviewed it thoroughly with defense lawyer Christopher Tebbe; and yes, she completely understood its legal ramifications and consequences. Prosecutor Jim Rosenberry also called to the stand lead investigator Detective William Meyerrose, a 22-year veteran of the Greensburg Police Department. During Meyerrose’s testimony, the state offered into evidence a June 4, 2011 video-recorded interview Parsons voluntarily gave to Meyerrose and Detective Pete Tressler of the Indiana State Police, the case’s other lead investigator. The courtroom sat in charged, rapt silence as the video played.
In the interview, Parsons recounted the events of the evening of Devin Parsons’ murder, admitting to detectives to “kicking and stomping” him 14 or 15 times, and punching him in the head. Parsons refused to accept blame for the murder, however, instead laying primary culpability with her live-in boyfriend at the time, Waldo Lynn Jones Jr., who’s scheduled to be tried Oct. 29. Parsons also contended in the interview that Jones forced her to run a bath for Devin Parsons, who was “bleeding everywhere” by that point. She further stated that, while in the tub, Jones submerged her son’s head in the water multiple times and held his face under the running faucet.
Parsons stated her certainty the boy was “drowned” as they dragged him from the bath and laid him on a bed. She also told detectives that Jones held a lit cigarette against the boy’s legs as he lay on the bed to prove he was “faking.” According to reports, however, autopsy results ruled out death by drowning and instead attributed the boy’s death to “multiple blunt force traumatic injuries from head to toe.” In the interview, Parsons also confirmed that, during the hours-long beating, Devin Parsons was also “hit with a metal TV tray,” had his head “pounded into the floor repeatedly with a cooler,” was “thrown into a home-entertainment center,” was “smashed over the head with a coffee table,” and was “hit with a belt.”
The incident began, Parsons further explained, when Devin Parsons allegedly stole a quantity of illegally-obtained prescription Percocet pills from Jones and the defendant, and refused to divulge their location. The defendant in court Tuesday afternoon presented a notable contrast compared to the belligerent, slightly incoherent, 29-year-old jailed suspect who recounted the murder to detectives on the year-old video recording. Parsons spoke little during Tuesday’s hearing and offered nothing resembling the repeated denials or deflection of blame heard on the video. She also confirmed to Judge Bailey she was no longer under the influence of alcohol or any drug. Instead, the defendant quietly confirmed to Judge Bailey, that yes, she was indeed guilty of beating and murdering her son and that yes, she was aware of and resigned to face the consequences. Parsons’ sentencing is set for July 20.
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM DEBBY ADVISORY NUMBER 6
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042012
400 PM CDT SUN JUN 24 2012
...THREAT TO LOUISIANA LESSENS...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS
DISCONTINUED...
SUMMARY OF 400 PM CDT...2100 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...28.4N 85.8W
ABOUT 205 MI...330 KM ESE OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ABOUT 100 MI...165 KM SSW OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH...95 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NE OR 40 DEGREES AT 3 MPH...6 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...993 MB...29.32 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...
THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED SOUTHWARD ALONG THE WEST
COAST OF FLORIDA TO ENGLEWOOD.
THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER
WESTWARD TO MORGAN CITY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BORDER EASTWARD TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER
RIVER FLORIDA
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* SOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER TO ENGLEWOOD FLORIDA
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...IN THIS CASE LATER TODAY.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY
YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 400 PM CDT...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.8 WEST. DEBBY IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 3 MPH...6 KM/H. NO SIGNIFICANT
MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE COUPLE OF DAYS...BUT THIS FORECAST
CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAIN.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM
FROM THE CENTER.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 993 MB...29.32 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS
OF THE NORTHEAST GULF COAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE REMAINDER
OF THE WARNING AREA BY TONIGHT...MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS
DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.
STORM SURGE...THE COMBINATION OF A STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL
CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY RISING
WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING DEPTHS ABOVE GROUND AT
THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...
APALACHEE BAY...4 TO 6 FT
FLORIDA WEST COAST SOUTH OF APALACHEE BAY...2 TO 4 FT
COASTAL MISSISSIPPI EASTWARD TO APALACHEE BAY...2 TO 4 FT
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...1 TO 3 FT
THE DEEPEST WATER WILL OCCUR ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE FLOW. SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE
TIMING OF THE SURGE AND THE TIDAL CYCLE...AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER
SHORT DISTANCES. FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE
SEE PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
RAINFALL...DEBBY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF
5 TO 10 INCHES OVER MUCH OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...NORTHERN
FLORIDA...CENTRAL FLORIDA AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA...WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. GIVEN THE RECENT HEAVY
RAINFALL AND WET SOIL CONDITIONS...THESE ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS WILL
EXACERBATE THE FLOODING THREAT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN FLORIDA
AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA.
TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER COASTAL
ALABAMA...MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTH FLORIDA...
WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.
TORNADOES...A FEW ARE POSSIBLE OVER WEST AND CENTRAL FLORIDA
PENINSULA TONIGHT
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM DEBBY ADVISORY NUMBER 6
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042012
400 PM CDT SUN JUN 24 2012
...THREAT TO LOUISIANA LESSENS...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS
DISCONTINUED...
SUMMARY OF 400 PM CDT...2100 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...28.4N 85.8W
ABOUT 205 MI...330 KM ESE OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ABOUT 100 MI...165 KM SSW OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH...95 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NE OR 40 DEGREES AT 3 MPH...6 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...993 MB...29.32 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...
THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED SOUTHWARD ALONG THE WEST
COAST OF FLORIDA TO ENGLEWOOD.
THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER
WESTWARD TO MORGAN CITY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BORDER EASTWARD TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER
RIVER FLORIDA
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* SOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER TO ENGLEWOOD FLORIDA
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...IN THIS CASE LATER TODAY.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY
YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 400 PM CDT...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.8 WEST. DEBBY IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 3 MPH...6 KM/H. NO SIGNIFICANT
MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE COUPLE OF DAYS...BUT THIS FORECAST
CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAIN.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM
FROM THE CENTER.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 993 MB...29.32 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS
OF THE NORTHEAST GULF COAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE REMAINDER
OF THE WARNING AREA BY TONIGHT...MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS
DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.
STORM SURGE...THE COMBINATION OF A STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL
CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY RISING
WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING DEPTHS ABOVE GROUND AT
THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...
APALACHEE BAY...4 TO 6 FT
FLORIDA WEST COAST SOUTH OF APALACHEE BAY...2 TO 4 FT
COASTAL MISSISSIPPI EASTWARD TO APALACHEE BAY...2 TO 4 FT
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...1 TO 3 FT
THE DEEPEST WATER WILL OCCUR ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE FLOW. SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE
TIMING OF THE SURGE AND THE TIDAL CYCLE...AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER
SHORT DISTANCES. FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE
SEE PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
RAINFALL...DEBBY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF
5 TO 10 INCHES OVER MUCH OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...NORTHERN
FLORIDA...CENTRAL FLORIDA AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA...WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. GIVEN THE RECENT HEAVY
RAINFALL AND WET SOIL CONDITIONS...THESE ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS WILL
EXACERBATE THE FLOODING THREAT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN FLORIDA
AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA.
TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER COASTAL
ALABAMA...MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTH FLORIDA...
WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.
TORNADOES...A FEW ARE POSSIBLE OVER WEST AND CENTRAL FLORIDA
PENINSULA TONIGHT
Good news for Houston and Texas is that Tropical Storm Debby is not expected to make landfall here…for the moment. It’s hard to understand why there is such difficulty in tracking this storm but two forecasters that I have high regard for, Tim Heller, Chief Meteorologist for Houston’s ABC Owned and Operated KTRK-TV and Eric Berger, Science Writer for the Houston Chronicle are really trying to make sense of Debby. Heller writes in his blog on KTRK.COM that “Tropical Storm Debby continues to inch northward. As of 2 PM, the center of the storm appears on satellite to be about 140 miles south/southwest of Panama City, Florida. The storm is moving northeast at only 5 mph.” “Wind shear from the southwest continues to tear apart the structure of the storm, displaying most of the rain to the north and east. Water temperatures are warm in the northern Gulf, however, the longer Debby stays over the same general area, the less likely it will intensify due to the upwelling of cooler water from below the surface.”
Berger writes for the Chronicle that “over the course of two successive runs the forecast models have simultaneously shifted markedly away from a Texas landfall for Tropical Storm Debby, while coming into significantly better agreement. And the consensus is northern Gulf coast, probably somewhere along the Florida panhandle on Tuesday or Wednesday. The latest run of the European modelis emblematic of the expected forecast track.” After Tuesday the storm could still make a westward turn, which the models were forecasting Saturday, but it would be over land at that time, and the storm would not track all the way to Texas. It’s going to be a wet time in the Florida Panhandle. Heavy squalls are already affecting the area, and rain totals could reach 10-20 inches between now and Wednesday.
So…hang on Florida and breathe a little easier Texas but why has Debby been so difficult to track? Tim Heller explains that “tracking tropical cyclones isn’t usually this difficult. The forecast models usually display a clear tendency by this stage of development. But Debby is developing between a trough of low pressure to the northeast and high pressure to the northwest and the influence of these two features continues to fluctuate. Since Debby is moving so slowly, over ten inches of rain will fall along the Gulf Coast the next few days.” Steering currents for Debby remain weak which means the forecast track will likely change again. The models are updated every six hours. The forecast track is adjusted every three hours.
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM DEBBY SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 4...CORRECTED
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042012
700 AM CDT SUN JUN 24 2012
CORRECTED TO MODIFY SURGE HAZARD STATEMENT...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR A PORTION OF THE FLORIDA AND
ALABAMA GULF COAST...
SUMMARY OF 700 AM CDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...27.5N 87.0W
ABOUT 170 MI...270 KM SE OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ABOUT 195 MI...315 KM SW OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH...95 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 360 DEGREES AT 2 MPH...4 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...994 MB...29.35 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM THE MISSISSIPPI
ALABAMA BORDER EASTWARD TO OCHLOCKONEE RIVER FLORIDA.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF LOUISIANA FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER WESTWARD
TO MORGAN CITY...NOT INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS OR LAKE
PONTCHARTRAIN
* THE MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA BORDER EASTWARD TO OCHLOCKONEE RIVER
FLORIDA.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY
YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 700 AM CDT...1200 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.0 WEST. DEBBY IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 2 MPH...4 KM/H. THIS MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY...FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL WESTWARD TURN
TONIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF
DEBBY WILL BE MOVING OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO DURING THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM
FROM THE CENTER TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. BALD POINT IN THE
FLORIDA BIG BEND RECENTLY REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 37 MPH...60
KM/H WITH GUSTS TO 43 MPH...69 KM/H.
LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE
WAS 994 MB...29.35 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS
OF THE NORTHEAST GULF COAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE REMAINDER
OF THE WARNING AREA BY TONIGHT...MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS
DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.
STORM SURGE...THE COMBINATION OF A STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL
CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY
RISING WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING DEPTHS ABOVE
GROUND IF THE PEAK SURGE OCCURS AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE...
APALACHEE BAY...3 TO 5 FT
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO APALACHICOLA...2 TO 4 FT
THE DEEPEST WATER WILL OCCUR ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE FLOW. SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE
TIMING OF THE SURGE AND THE TIDAL CYCLE...AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER
SHORT DISTANCES. FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE
SEE PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
RAINFALL...DEBBY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6
INCHES ALONG THE GULF COAST FROM SOUTHERN LOUISIANA TO THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES.
ADDITIONAL RAINS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 5
INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN FLORIDA
PENINSULA.
TORNADOES...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF THE
WEST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA PENINSULA TODAY.
In the interview, Parsons recounted the events of the evening of Devin Parsons’ murder, admitting to detectives to “kicking and stomping” him 14 or 15 times, and punching him in the head. Parsons refused to accept blame for the murder, however, instead laying primary culpability with her live-in boyfriend at the time, Waldo Lynn Jones Jr., who’s scheduled to be tried Oct. 29. Parsons also contended in the interview that Jones forced her to run a bath for Devin Parsons, who was “bleeding everywhere” by that point. She further stated that, while in the tub, Jones submerged her son’s head in the water multiple times and held his face under the running faucet.
