Gerald Parker
Gerald Parker (born 1955) is an American serial killer who raped and murdered five Orange County, California women. A sixth victim who was pregnant at the time of the attack survived, but her child was delivered stillborn. The crimes took place in 1978 and 1979, but Parker was not identified as the killer until 1996. Parker confessed to the murders, and was sentenced to death on January 21, 1999.[1] Following his conviction, another man, Kevin Lee Green, who had been charged with one of the murders and had served 16 years in prison, was exonerated and released.[2]
Gerald Parker | |
|---|---|
.png) Inmate Mugshot 2007 | |
| Born | 1955 (age 64–65) |
| Other names | The Bedroom Basher The Bludgeon Killer |
| Conviction(s) | Murder Rape |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | 1978–1979 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | For the final time in January 1996 |
| Imprisoned at | San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California |
Background
Very little is known about Gerald Parker's early life. He was born in 1955, in a poor family with eleven brothers and sisters. In 1963, Gerald's mother passed away, and his grandmother had to take care of him. After the death of his mother, Gerald and his family moved to Arizona, moving into an urban area populated mainly by white Americans, as a result of which the Parker family were segregated. In the mid-1960s, Parker and his brothers moved to a neighborhood mainly populated by African-Americans with little to no education, but continued to attend the same school as before, as a result of which Gerald was frequently physically and mentally abused by the white students. Due to his trouble at school, he began to use household and industrial chemicals, to which he developed an addiction.[3]
In the late 1960s, the Parker family moved to San Diego, California. In his teens, Gerald began to use narcotic substances such as mescaline and LSD, with his academic performance degrading as a result. In 1970, he stole several items from the school, but was captured and promptly expelled. Due to his age and the laws of the juvenile court, however, he wasn't charged with a crime. The young criminal was able to take the correcth path, as he was transferred under supervision of guardians to the Boys Republic, a private all-boys school for troubled adolescents, located in Chino. After spending several months at the school, Parker escaped and led a transient lifestyle for the next few years.
At the end of 1973, Parker was enlisted in the army and enrolled into the Marine Corps. Until 1974, he served at a military base in Adak, Alaska, after which he was transferred to Tustin, where he worked from 1974 to 1977. During his service, as a result from his introverted personality and poor communication skills, Gerald was unpopular among his colleagues, maintaining a trusting relationship with only one man, was left unmarried and preferred to spend his free time in the company of pimps and prostitutes. Nevertheless, during his military career, Parker never received any disciplinary sanctions and ultimately earned a reputation as a model marine, for which, in 1978, he received the honorary title of staff sergeant. Most of his colleagues from that period spoke very highly of him. Despite his alcohol addiction, Parker was never aggressive towards fellow marines. In 1978, he continued his service at the El Toro air station in Irvine, where he served until the beginning of 1980, when, due to problems with law enforcement, he was forced to resign from the army.
Crimes
On February 15, 1980, Parker abducted and subsequently raped a 14-year-old girl in Tustin.[1][4] After the act, he released her without causing her any further serious injuries. The victim contacted the police and described the car and appearance of her assailant, on the basis of which Gerald was soon arrested. He was cooperative with authorities and confessed to the crime, and in exchange for a commutation of his sentence, he also admitted to a robbery committed thirteen days earlier in Pasadena, while visiting his brother. Parker was found guilty of rape and received an 8-year sentence, which he served at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. On February 13, 1984, while in custody, Parker attacked his cellmate David Feertadot with a blunt object, causing him head injuries. The motive for the attack was never established, and in June 1984, Gerald was given an additional sentence for causing grievous bodily harm. In November 1987, he was paroled and released. Over the next few years, he led a transient lifestyle, periodically working as a day laborer, but earning his income mainly through thefts. In July 1993, he was arrested for several thefts and robberies in Orange County, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. However, in February 1995, he was paroled again. In January the following year, Parker was rearrested for violating the conditions of his parole and returned to prison to serve out his sentence. During this time, he was forced to give a blood sample.
Exposure
DNA profiling tests were conducted on the blood sample from Parker, which showed that his profile corresponded to that of an unidentified serial killer who left biological traces during six attacks on different women around Orange County between 1978 and 1979,[5] using primarily a 2x4 piece of lumber, a hammer or mallet.[1] For this reason, the unsub was named "The Bedroom Basher".[6] Based on this, on June 14, 1996, Gerald Parker was questioned for his involvement at his cell in the Avenal State Prison. He denied having to do anything with the killings and protested his innocence, but under pressure from mounting evidence, he confessed during another interrogation two days later. According to his testimony, on December 1, 1978, in Anaheim, Parker entered the apartment of 17-year-old Sandra Fry, whom he raped and beat severely, inflicting severe head injuries from which Fry would later succumb to. On March 31, 1979, his next attack took place in Costa Mesa, entering the apartment of 21-year-old Kimberly Rawlins, whom he raped and then hit on the head with a blunt object. Like with Fry, he left biological traces on Rawlins' body. On September 14th, he entered the apartment of 31-year-old Marilyn Carleton, brutally beating her during an attempted rape, causing her severe head injuries, from which the woman would die from the following day. This crime was witnessed by the victim's 9-year-old son, who subsequently described the attacker to police. On September 30th, Gerald attacked 20-year-old nurse Dianna Green, who was 9 months pregnant. He beat her with a piece of blackboard and subsequently raped her. Green survived, but her child was stillborn and she fell into a retrograde amnesia.[1] The killer left the crime scene unnoticed and didn't leave any clues behind, as a result of which Kevin Green, the husband, was wrongfully charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack in 1980.[7]
On October 6th, Parker entered the Tustin apartment of 24-year-old Deborah Kennedy. He attacked the girl and severely beat her with a hammer, causing her severe head injuries and a brain hemorrhage, with Deborah later succumbing to her injuries. In this instance, Parker managed to avoid leaving behind any incriminating evidence, aside from his semen traces on the victim's body. Fourteen days later, he committed another murder in Costa Mesa. On that day, Gerald entered the apartment of 17-year-old Deborah Senior, raping and then beating her with a blunt object, causing her severe head injuries from which she later die from. This time, Parker left behind not only his biological traces, but a palm print of his left hand. During interrogations, Parker's testimony turned out to be extremely consistent with the times and dates of the crimes, despite his claims that he had committed these acts while in an intoxicated state.
Trial
Gerald Parker's trial began in 1997. He did not dispute his guilt in the murders. The main evidence was based around the DNA tests and his own confession, because of which he was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1999.[6][8] The charges against Kevin Green, convicted of assaulting his wife and murdering their unborn daughter, were dropped, and he was released after spending 16 years behind bars.[6][9]
Aftermath
Parker is currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, awaiting execution. In 2017, his lawyers appealed for the nullification of his death sentence and for a new trial, on the grounds that Parker being bullied in high school, which ultimately led to mental, emotional and behavioral problems which afflicted him at the time of the murders, combined with the use of drugs and alcohol. However, that appeal was rejected.[10][11]
External links
Bibliography
- Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes (2003). The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations: The Grisly Business Unit. Academic Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780124042605.
References
- Anne Cekola and H. G. Reza (August 20, 1996). "O.C. Grand Jury Heard Parker Admit 6 Killings". Los Angeles Times.
- Charlie Goodyear and Erin Hallissy (October 19, 1999). "The Other Side of DNA Evidence: An Innocent Man Is Freed". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- Michael Granberry (July 15, 1996). "Relative of Alleged Serial Killer Cites Life of Losses". Los Angeles Times.
- "Releases JUSTICE DELAYED / DNA EVIDENCE FREES ONE MAN, POINTS TO ANOTHER IN 1979 CASE : Heating the Cold Trail of the 'Bludgeon Killer'". Los Angeles times. June 22, 1996.
- Thao Hua, H. G. Reza and Lee Romney (June 22, 1996). "New Suspect Charged as Man Held 17 Years Is Freed". Los Angeles Times.
- Daniel Yi (January 22, 1999). "Man Sentenced to Death in Killings". Los Angeles Times.
- Ruth Ann Mitchell (October 6, 1996). "Innocent Man Revels In Normal Life After 17 Years in Prison". Deseret News. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- Maura Dolan (June 5, 2017). "Death penalty is upheld for Orange County serial killer". Los Angeles Times.
- "'BEDROOM BASHER': After 16 years in prison, man faces real killer". Associated Press. October 7, 1998.
- "Death penalty is upheld for Orange County serial killer". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- Ashley Ludwig (June 7, 2017). "Tustin Bedroom Basher Serial Rapist Death Penalty Upheld". Patch.