The After Show: Murder Next Door

Summary

20/20: The After Show — "Murder Next Door"

Podcast: 20/20
Host: Deborah Roberts
Guest Correspondent: Ryan Smith
Episode Date: May 18, 2026
Main Theme:
A behind-the-scenes exploration of the true crime case covered in the prior Friday’s episode, focusing on the shocking murder of Kay Parsons in suburban Georgia, the subsequent attack on her best friend Becky Sears, and the revelations that unraveled a tangled web of secrets, relationships, and betrayals.

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Episode Overview

This After Show episode delves into details and behind-the-scenes moments from the 20/20 coverage of the Kay Parsons case—a brutal murder in Grovetown, Georgia in 2009, followed within a day by the shooting of her neighbor and best friend, Becky Sears. Deborah Roberts and Ryan Smith discuss how the crime shook a tight-knit suburban community, emphasize the complexities in the investigation, and share previously unaired interviews and evidence, including a jailhouse letter and exclusive insights about the perpetrators’ motives and the plea deal that averted the death penalty.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: An Idyllic Suburb Rocked by Crime

[00:35–04:17]

• Kay Parsons, a 41-year-old mother and wife, is found brutally beaten in her garage and dies from her injuries (March 26, 2009).
• Becky Sears, Kay’s best friend and neighbor, is shot in the leg the following day outside her workplace but manages to call 911.
• The initial police question: Is this a serial attacker or coincidental tragedies?
• Ryan Smith: “...what was going on behind closed doors makes a very, very big difference because it just goes to show that what you see on the outside isn't always what's going on on the inside.” (03:38)

2. Brutality as a Clue: Crime Scene Analysis

[04:17–06:48]

• Investigators found Kay was attacked with a hammer and then her son’s baseball bat.
• The overkill and hands-on nature implied a personal connection, not a random attack.
• Ryan Smith: “...a level of heinousness, a level of gruesomeness that you don't often see. But more than that, someone who was... passionate and somehow was connected and had some sort of special hatred for Kate Parsons...” (05:36)

3. A Second Attack—More Questions Than Answers

[06:48–09:06]

• Becky Sears is attacked after Kay’s murder; the blood on her own back door is seen as a red flag by police.
• Logic questions the theory of a roaming predator; the nature and timing of attacks suggest something closer to home.

4. The Puzzle of Two Families & their Ties

[09:06–10:25]

• Both women’s families were intertwined: close friends, children who played together, and professional links.
• Police begin looking into family dynamics and connections for possible motives.

5. Community Perceptions & a Suspicious Response

[10:25–13:00]

• Neighbor Michelle Emerson recalls a chilling post-murder conversation with Becky:
  • Notable Quote:
    Michelle Emerson (paraphrased): “I just hope they find who did this... [Becky] said, ‘I don’t care if they ever find out who did this. I care that they leave my family alone.’” (11:01)
  • Michelle describes this as abnormal and her first signal something was off.

6. The Investigation Turns: The 911 Call & Incriminating Details

[15:55–16:21]

• Further excerpts from Becky’s 911 call:
  • Becky claimed: "If he didn't get his money, the next time it would be my face." (16:15)
• Police now perceive inconsistencies and possible attempts to misdirect suspicion.

7. The Breakthrough: A Tip from Jail

[17:10–18:27]

• Becky’s half brother Jerry, watching the news while jailed for a minor offense, calls police.
• He claims Becky was having an affair with Kay’s husband, David, and had inquired about methods to get rid of someone.
• Notable Quote:
  Ryan Smith: "This is about as unlikely a scenario that could ever happen.” (17:10)

8. Confrontation & Arrests

[18:27–20:10]

• Police confront Becky; in interviews she gives partial confessions and implicates her own son, Chris, in minute crime details.
• Deborah Roberts: “Hearing a mom essentially... bring her own son into a heinous crime like this. What’d you make of it?” (19:16)

9. The Motive and the Mastermind

[20:10–21:38]

• Police determine Becky masterminded the plot, setting up the scene with her son Chris, who carried out the attack.
• Crime is staged to look like random neighborhood violence; Becky provides cover and cleanup for Chris.
• Death penalty is initially sought due to the cruelty and calculated nature of the murder.

10. Plea Deal & Resolution

[24:05–25:37]

• Despite seeking the death penalty, prosecutors accept a plea deal to spare the family further trauma and due to evidentiary challenges (missing physical evidence, eventually pointed out by Becky).
• Both Becky and Chris plead guilty and are sentenced to life without parole.

11. The Jailhouse Letter

[25:37–27:18]

• Podcast shares for the first time portions of a letter Becky wrote to her son Chris from jail:
  • Notable Quote:
    Becky (letter): "I am sorry that you have been dragged into this mess. … I guess you should have gone to your job that day instead of coming to my office. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me. I know I let you down. I let all of you down.” (26:00)
• The letter is both emotional and oddly shifting blame onto her son, highlighting dysfunction and lack of full responsibility.

12. Final Reflections & Victims’ Voices

[27:47–29:33]

• Chris sends a statement acknowledging the weight of his crime but, as Ryan notes, his reflections lack deep remorse; instead, he distances himself from the horror.
  • Notable Quote:
    Chris (statement): “A person is dead because of actions I took. … I’ve never revisited the crime scene in my head until recently. I couldn’t handle it. It’s so dark. But it’s a place I know I have to go to if I want to be able to live with myself someday.” (27:47)
• Ryan reflects on the lingering pain for Kay’s family and community:
  “K’s relatives, they revisit that in their head every single day. Probably Christopher has the benefit of being able to say I haven’t done it until recently, kind of indicating it would have been so hard for me. That is probably something that is very difficult for Kay's family to hear.” (29:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ryan Smith on suburbia:
  “You know your neighbors. You talk to your neighbors, but you don't really know them. … what was going on behind closed doors makes a very, very big difference...” (03:39)
• On the nature of violent crimes:
  “Someone who's doing something, but they can't close up, attack someone, or they're not close up attacking someone. In this particular case ... that, to me, suggests a level of heinousness...” (05:07)
• On Becky’s suspicious statement:
  Michelle Emerson: “‘I don't care if they ever find out who did this. I care that they leave my family alone.’” (11:01)
• On the jailhouse tip:
  “This is about as unlikely a scenario that could ever happen.” (17:10)
• On motive:
  “Do you think it was just sort of the age old, let me get rid of the wife and then I can have the husband that I'm having the affair with.” (27:18)
• On grief and memory:
  “You got the sense that not only was this neighborhood always going to be affected by what happened to Kay, but that Kay will always be remembered as somebody who touched their life in a positive way.” (29:29)

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Key Timestamps

• [00:35] – Case introduction & shocking double crime
• [03:12] – Ryan’s first reaction, community context
• [04:17] – Crime scene analysis: implications of a brutal, close-contact attack
• [10:25] – Michelle Emerson’s recount of Becky’s suspicious statement
• [15:55] – Unpacking the extended 911 call
• [17:10] – The pivotal jailhouse tip from Becky’s brother
• [18:47] – Becky’s police interview implicating her son
• [20:10] – Death penalty decision
• [24:05] – Plea deal explained
• [26:00] – Becky’s jailhouse letter revealed
• [27:47] – Chris’ reflection on the crime
• [29:33] – The impact on the community and Kay’s legacy

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Tone & Feel

The conversation is both analytic and empathetic, blending the professional detachment of investigative journalism with personal reflection and emotional responses as parents and community members. Surprising twists and revelations are treated with a mix of amazement and sadness, with a clear sympathy for the victim’s family and the lasting scars borne by the community.

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Summary

This After Show provides a richer, more nuanced look at the “Murder Next Door” case than was possible in the original TV episode. Through extended interviews, first-hand recollections, and previously unreleased evidence, listeners gain deeper insight into how shocking crimes can hide behind everyday facades, the difficult process of unraveling the truth, and the profound effects such events have on victims’ families and neighborhoods.

Transcript

[Ryan Smith]

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[Deborah Roberts]

Welcome to 2020 the After Show. I'm Deborah Roberts and as always, it's good to have you with us as we take a second look at our 2020 episode from this past Friday night. And we like to take you behind the scenes, share some details that maybe we didn't get a chance to get to because there's only so much we can fit in our program on a Friday night. But today on the after show, you will hear some details that you did not hear many of you saw. It happened in suburban Georgia. A woman by the name of kay Parsons, a 41 year old mom and wife, was found brutally beaten in her own garage. She was clinging to life. She was rushed to the hospital and later she died on March 26, 2009. Now, oddly, the next day, another bizarre crime. Kay's best friend and next door neighbor, Becky Sears, was shot in the leg as she was leaving her job at a physical therapy center. She actually managed to call 911 herself. Take a listen. Augusta911, what's the exact location of your emergency?

[Ryan Smith]

I was leaving my office and somebody came out from behind the trees and he shot me.

[Deborah Roberts]

Okay.

[Ryan Smith]

Do you know where you get at?

[Deborah Roberts]

My legs. Okay.

[Ryan Smith]

Okay. I don't want you to ring up.

[Deborah Roberts]

Okay, Just stay on the side. What's your name? Becky Sears. This was really strange. Two crimes within a very short time of each other. Well, police were struggling to put the pieces together. Was there a serial attacker or was there some other explanation for these back to back crimes involving two women who happen to know each other? Well, of course, it's 2020 and it turns out the truth here is stranger than fiction. And we're gonna jump into all of those details with correspondent Ryan Smith who reported on this story and give us more about the exclusive interviews which he included in the piece. And also, as I said, share some information that you didn't necessarily learn about on Friday night, including a stunning letter that was written from jail from someone who was at the center of all of this. You're going to hear it all for the first time here on this podcast but in the meantime, Ryan Smith. Hey, Ryan, how you doing?

[Ryan Smith]

Deborah, great to talk to you. Thanks for having me. I'm doing good.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's always great having you on 2020 because you bring such a great viewpoint to these stories. I mean, you're a lawyer in addition to being a great storyteller. And I always love hearing your reaction when these stories are presented to you. In this case, tell me a little bit about what struck you when you heard about the mystery surrounding the K. Parsons story. What was your first thought about it?

[Ryan Smith]

What really struck me about this is when I heard the word Grovetown, Georgia, which is where this took place. I knew it because I knew of Augusta. Augusta, Georgia, is where the Nash the Masters is played. And so I know the town, I know the area. And this is sort of suburban town, usa, idyllic, wonderful communities. The kind of place where attacks and killings just don't.

[Deborah Roberts]

Really just don't happen.

[Ryan Smith]

Yeah, they don't. And so the first thing I thought was, something's amiss here. And the other thing I thought, Debra, that really struck me. So I live in the suburbs. This is after living in the cities of Philadelphia and New York City for most of my life, I live in the suburbs. And one thing that occurs to me living out here is you know your neighbors. You talk to your neighbors, but you don't really know them. You don't really know what goes on behind closed doors. And this is a case where what was going on behind closed doors makes a very, very big difference because it just goes to show that what you see on the outside isn't always what's going on on the inside. Right.

[Deborah Roberts]

Let's go back then to March of 2009. You have a woman, Kay, who's found in her garage. Her contractor notices that her home has been broken into and calls police. They find her in her garage in a pool of blood. This woman has been bludgeoned. She's clinging to life, apparently had been hit with either some kind of a blunt object, they would later say a hammer and a baseball bat. When you think about the nature of a crime like that, and put your legal hat on for me, because sometimes that tells an investigator something, as opposed to a gunshot wound. Right. Or somebody who was stabbed maybe in some kind of a heat of the moment when somebody's beaten to death like that, that usually says something to investigators, doesn't it?

[Ryan Smith]

It really does for investigators. A lot of times they look at a scene like that, Deborah, and they think either a crime of passion or some sort of connection to the victim. It's just an initial thought because authorities have to look at cases like this and sort of go with their initial gut and go from there based on the evidence. But you look at a situation like this, I've covered hundreds, sad to say, hundreds of killings and tough crimes and. And beatings. And a lot of times I find that if it's with a gun or something from a distance, that tends to suggest a little bit of a distance in terms of the relationship. Someone who's doing something, but they can't close up, attack someone, or they're not close up attacking someone. In this particular case, Kay Parsons was attacked with a hammer that appeared to be brought to the scene. And then after using the hammer, the attacker then grabbed her son's baseball bat and continued to brutally assault her with this bat. And so that, to me, suggests a level of heinousness, a level of gruesomeness that you don't often see. But more than that, someone who was, in the moment, passionate and somehow was connected and had some sort of special hatred for Kate Parsons, which made this whole situation all the more shocking, Because Kate Parsons, from everybody we talked to, was a pillar of the community. Everyone loved her. Her family was well known. Everyone got along with her. So it just didn't add up from the very beginning for authorities.

[Deborah Roberts]

And you actually and the team had a chance to have access to the crime scene. Oftentimes when we're out there on these shoots, sometimes it works out so we can actually go and see where it happens. Sometimes it doesn't. But in this case, with one of the first responders, you were able to take a look. What was that like for you? Because it's always chilling to me to see where something so horrible happened, even if it was years before the heinousness

[Ryan Smith]

of the crime becomes all the more vivid. And let me just say also the first responder who I was there with, talking to, he said in the moment, he and his partner were there trying to save Kay's life, trying to help her, but then also they were worried that the attacker was still in the house. So they're trying to clear the area. And then also tend to k. He said it was one of the most chaotic, conflicting moments he had ever experienced.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah, yeah. And sometimes these people aren't accustomed to this kind of thing either, so it's even more traumatic for them because they don't get these kinds of crimes. Well, let's talk about Becky, then, who is. Her home is burglarized, she's shot and is attacked the next day. So initially, police aren't sure what to make of this. And then there's blood on the handle of the back door. And so the whole idea of what happened to her was it as what you said in the piece was, it wasn't so much a clue at the time as it was a red flag. She's her best friend. And that's a little bit strange.

[Ryan Smith]

Yeah, this whole thing from the very beginning was just a little bit vexing for authorities. So the thought the police had was, okay, the attacker attacks K. Parsons in whatever sort of fit of rage, maybe trying to commit a robbery, and then heads to the Sears home trying to commit a robbery and then escapes. Here's what doesn't make sense about that, Deborah. If you attack somebody that brutally and you're attacking them and beating them within an inch of their life, what most attackers and killers do is they flee immediately sensing what they've done. I'm going to get away from authorities. What would this attacker have done under that theory that they saw at that moment would be, okay, I attacked this person, I injured Kay to the point that she's almost dying, and now I'm gonna go and rob someone else. It just didn't add up.

[Deborah Roberts]

I totally agree with you. It doesn't add up. So police are initially probably thinking these things like this is really bizarre. I mean, but then again, it could be somebody on some wild terror. So then you start digging, of course, and police begin to do this too. In the very beginning. The two families, what's the connection? What are they like? And give us a sense of what they were finding out about these two families, because you present, as you said in the piece about Kay being somebody that everybody looked up to in the community, what were piece. What were police discovering early on about the connection between the two families?

[Ryan Smith]

So the first thing you do if you're authorities, you start looking into everyone. And not also. Not necessarily for suspicion, but just trying to figure out the picture. So they found that Kay Parsons, she had at the time, a young son. And Becky Sears also had a young son. Kay had one child, Becky had five. A couple of them were living with her in their house. Along with her husband, Tony, Kay had a husband, David, and her one son. And these two couples were very friendly. Becky and Kay were very close. Becky helped Kay get a job at the clinic that she worked at. So these two were really good friends. Their kids played together. And there was a real relationship between the families. There was a real closeness. So I'm assuming That, at least initially, authorities, as they're discovering information about the Sears, about Kay Parsons, they're starting to figure, hey, was this in some way targeted? Because at first, Kay is attacked, and then someone robs Becky Sears home. It didn't. Didn't quite make sense, but they're trying to put together that picture.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah. Well, in your piece, you, of course, start talking to folks around these families. And one thing that was really intriguing was your conversation with Michelle Emerson. And she tells you about a strange conversation that actually happened with Becky after Kay had been killed. Let's take a listen to a part of it that you didn't get a chance to hear on Friday night.

[Ryan Smith]

Tell me what it was like when you first saw Becky after Kay.

[Michelle Emerson]

So she came just very shortly after. And she came out.

[Ryan Smith]

We all.

[Michelle Emerson]

We walked out to our back porch, and we all were sitting around talking. She was hugging on Michael. And, you know, just. We was all kind of consoling. And, you know, I was out there and I mentioned to her, I said, you know, I just hope that they find out who did this, you know, and she looked and she said, I don't care if they ever find out who did this. She said, I care that they leave my family alone.

[Ryan Smith]

And how did that make you feel?

[Michelle Emerson]

I was a little shocked, but, you know, I was trying not to read into everything. We were all. And traumatized still. But, you know, later I kept thinking, that's not a normal thing for somebody to say they wasn't worried about, you know, that we still had a dangerous person out that could get to any of us. Was confused why she would say something like that. But that was my first intuition that, you know, something didn't all go together at that point for us.

[Ryan Smith]

Why did you feel that way?

[Michelle Emerson]

I don't know. Because how could you say you didn't care? You know, if everybody, you know, everybody else. You just had your best friend injured and she has passed away, and then you're just saying you don't care as long as they leave your family alone. That didn't make sense to me.

[Deborah Roberts]

All right, that is pretty strange, right? That was. I mean, it had to strike you as pretty strange.

[Ryan Smith]

I mean, it blew me away. Because here's what. And there's a couple things that everybody has to understand about this story, Deborah. The first thing is all of this is happening really fast. I'm talking about within days. So when Kate Parsons is first attacked, the entire neighborhood, in fact, most of the entire town is. Is on high alert. People are wondering, is someone walking through the streets attacking people. Am I in danger? Is my family in danger? So when Michelle is having this discussion with Becky Sears, she's like, man, I hope they catch this guy. I hope they find or whoever it is. I hope they find whoever did this. Because I'm worried about me. I'm worried about everyone. I'm worried about what happened with Kate and Becky is like, I'm worried about my family. It just didn't add up to Michelle. And keep in mind, Deborah, Michelle and Becky were friends. They had sons who played together, so on teams together. So this was completely out of the blue. And Michelle is kind of like, wait, your family? I mean, but what about the community? Like, why would they be looking at your family?

[Deborah Roberts]

That. That didn't add up. Well, we're gonna have to take a break in a second, so don't go anywhere. But as you said, Becky was mysteriously shot in the leg here. And then she's making these very odd comments. When we come back, we're gonna play a little bit more of that 911 call and also more about Becky's story because that's where everything started to change for police. You're gonna hear a little clip that you haven't actually heard from, something that hasn't been revealed before. And it changes everything in this case. So don't go anywhere.

[Ryan Smith]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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[Ryan Smith]

I don't think he. I don't know if he shot me, if he missed me.

[Deborah Roberts]

There's a hole in my boot. Tell me what happened.

[Ryan Smith]

I was leaving my office, going to my truck, and he came out and he chased me back to the door and he shot me.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did he say anything for you? He said if he didn't get his

[Ryan Smith]

money, the next time it would be my face.

[Deborah Roberts]

So two women best friends attacked within two days and they happen to live next door to each other. Ryan, as you said, things were not adding up, and police are sort of casting a wide net, looking at all kinds of folks in the very beginning.

[Ryan Smith]

Yeah. And they're like, where did that come from? This Becky Sears getting shot and the man saying, if it's not, if he doesn't have his money, it's going to be her face. This is when police are starting to think is there's someone trying to attack people. But one thing they do is they. They sort of look at Becky, but they're just at this point trying to cast a net and figure out what's going on. You got two robberies, somebody getting shot in a place where things like this just don't happen.

[Deborah Roberts]

Obviously, police are at a loss. In the beginning, nothing is being much revealed, but then there's an unlikely tipster. This was really pretty shocking. Becky's half brother Jerry calls police with some critical information about her.

[Ryan Smith]

Yeah, Deborah can I just say that in a case like this, this is about as unlikely a scenario that could ever happen.

[Deborah Roberts]

Police, you can't make this up.

[Ryan Smith]

You just literally can't write it. They don't write this in Hollywood. This is a situation where it's a couple days after, and this is major news. The attack on K. That she had been murdered, that she had been killed. And Becky's brother Jerry is in jail on a minor traffic offense. And he's watching this on television. He calls police and says, hey, I want to talk to you about something. Okay, fine. That's Becky's brother. Makes sense. Let's talk to him. He says that Becky was having an affair with Kay's husband, David Parsons. This blows police away for a bunch of different reasons. Then he says Becky also talked to him, talking about Jerry, about different ways that he might get rid of someone, like trying to cut somebody's brakes, asking about different options. So much going on. But for police, this breaks everything wide open. Because it's like, now it makes sense. And the people we've been talking to Becky, we got to look at them a whole lot closer.

[Deborah Roberts]

And, of course, you know, you and I have seen this in other stories that we. We've done. I mean, it's one thing, though, for them to be having an affair doesn't necessarily connect her to the crime. But then police call Beck in for an interview. And you included part of that interview in your piece. Let's play part of it that you didn't hear on Friday night. Let's take a listen.

[Ryan Smith]

And that's what he said he used the hammer with was to hit the glass on the back door and that it didn't break.

[Deborah Roberts]

And so he had to hit it again.

[Ryan Smith]

And he went inside, and he didn't say what he did while he was in there, and he didn't say where he went or where he was at when she got home. Then the next thing he said was that she tried to go out of the garage.

[Michelle Emerson]

And he pushed the garage button to

[Ryan Smith]

close the garage to keep her from escaping. Yes. And that he hit her with the bat and that he had to push

[Deborah Roberts]

her up against the Motorcycle Ryan. Hearing a mom essentially, like, bring her own. Her own son into a heinous crime like this. What'd you make of it?

[Ryan Smith]

To hear Becky doing this and even to hear the officers. And you heard it in our program, hearing the officers talking about what she said about him, it just boggles the mind. I can't even picture it. I mean, I guess in some ways Consider the source. But I just can't.

[Deborah Roberts]

I can't believe it.

[Ryan Smith]

What did you think?

[Deborah Roberts]

I think. Well, I was shocked. I think our audience was shocked, too. You just do not expect that, you know, from a mom. So then within days of each other, and you and I talked about this. I mean, this thing happened pretty quickly, too. Within days, you know, Chris and Becky are arrested, charged with four specific counts related to the killing of Kay Parsons. And the district attorney is going to seek the death penalty, which they don't do lightly. You know that as a. As a lawyer.

[Ryan Smith]

How.

[Deborah Roberts]

Tell me a little bit about the nature of this crime and how they. The prosecutors were thinking that this all played out to lead them to that point, that they're going to go after the death penalty.

[Ryan Smith]

Yeah. This is very interesting because at first the thought is Christopher did it, but once they start unpacking everything, that's when the death penalty part gets heightened. The way they see it breaking down is Becky is the mastermind. She and Chris are very close. So she hatches a plan, and she gets Chris involved in it. She goes and picks up Chris from his house. She drops him off in the early morning hours. He's supposed to wait until the kids go to school so the kids aren't hurt, meaning not only Kay's kid, but Becky's kids. So everybody's out. And then he jumps the fence, attacks K and then leaves. Then he goes and robs or stages a robbery at Becky's house to make it look like it's not a crime of passion. It's some burglar attacking the neighborhood. And then he goes and runs into the woods, calls his mom, Becky. She comes and picks him up. Now, there's a couple different elements of this. He's got evidence on his clothes. He's got blood on him. She helps him clean up. So for authorities here, this is a classic death penalty case. And it's really hard to bring these cases for prosecutors. But they looked at this and even said at the time this was one of the most gruesome crimes they had ever seen. When you have a case like this that shocks the conscience, you have to go for the highest possible penalty.

[Deborah Roberts]

You know, you and I, as I said, do so many of these stories, and we hear all the motives and, you know, and people always sort of think they're going to commit the perfect crime. Right. They're going to be able to sort of, you know, throw police off the scent, and it just never happens. Well, as I said, there are parts of this story that we are revealing here on the podcast that you all are getting a chance to learn about that you didn't see Friday night. And when we come back. So don't go anywhere. Ryan, you don't either because we've got that jailhouse letter that Becky wrote to Chris from behind bars just weeks after their arrest. And we're going to actually share it with you. You'll be the first people to hear it. So don't go anywhere.

[Ryan Smith]

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[Deborah Roberts]

Welcome back to 20 20, the After Show. I am going through the details of last Friday night's program with correspondent Ryan Smith, who reported on it for 2020. And we have been talking about just how mind boggling this story is and particularly for us as parents. And because this does involve a mother son duo who are charged in this crime. And I think we had a certain reaction to it. Becky and Chris both under arrest, charged with the brutal murder of Kay Parsons, who was supposed to be Becky's dear friend. And now Becky and her son Chris are facing the possibility of the death penalty. Ryan, as a lawyer, you know it's not always easy for prosecutors to make these decisions because they've got to prove these cases and so they're going for the death penalty. But over the course of time, this doesn't happen. Becky and Chris actually strike a plea deal which avoided the death penalty for both of them. But it took a while, what about three years for this to finally happen. Why did it go for so long? Do you think they were just sort of waiting for their best option? I mean, they could have been in court and convicted quickly.

[Ryan Smith]

You're absolutely right. But you know what? Deborah and I can't speak to what was actually in Becky and Chris's mind. But I can tell you this, this, especially with respect to Becky, I can say this a lot of times in cases like this that I've seen, once trial gets real close and you're facing death, things get real. Like really real. So my sense, at least for prosecutors, right before trial or right around the time Becky comes forward and says, hey, I've got information about this case. Now I want to back up Just for a second, because there was one thing prosecutors were missing in this case. There wasn't a lot of evidence. See, part of the problem was they never found the clothes or any of that stuff that was involved in the attack on K. So their thought was Chris did the attacking, but where his clothes wear, the evidence, where the fingerprints.

[Deborah Roberts]

Right.

[Ryan Smith]

There was very little of that. She was able to say to them, I know where the bloody clothes are. I know where the DNA is. It's in my mom's house in a book bag, in a backpack. So they go, they get the clothes. It has the DNA on it. They go to Christopher, they say, we got your DNA. He says, I'm going to plead, too. And right there, death penalty is off the table. And some people may be listening to this and say, well, that's not fair. I mean, they did this heinous crime. They admitted to it. It should still be the death penalty. What a lot of times prosecutors will do is that is such a long and arduous process that prosecutors want to spare the family and the loved ones of the victims all the pain of going through all that by saying, look, they're going to be behind bars for the rest of their lives. So that is a better result than going five, 10 years down the line and seeing what happens with the death penalty.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah, yeah. But these two did finally cop to it, and they were sentenced to life without parole, as you said, back in 2012. Well, as I mentioned earlier, we did actually have access to an emotional letter that Becky wrote to her son. I mean, it's somewhat emotional, but also somewhat matter of fact, and you didn't get to hear it on Friday night's episode. But, Ryan, you've got a copy of that letter. Can you give us a sense of what it says?

[Ryan Smith]

Deborah, hold your breath for this, because this is. And you know this. It's like when we do these cases, especially when someone's behind bars, we try to talk to them. We try to get information about what they're saying to each other or writing to each other. And it's really hard to get. But here we get this letter and just. You gotta hear this. This is Becky writing to Christopher. Here she is. Dear CB that's talking about Christopher. Hey, baby. How are you doing? Not too good, I am sure. I am sorry that you have been dragged into this mess. I don't even know how it happened. I guess you should have gone to your job that day instead of coming to my office. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. I know I let you down. I let all of you down. I miss you and the baby so much. It's driving me crazy. I hope you know how much I love you. It was nice to finally get to see you yesterday. I hope you heard me when I said I love you too. I caught your kiss. Did you get mine? All of the girls keep saying, man, he is so fine. She's like, I guess you should have gone to your job instead of coming to my office. As if he might have convinced her that he wanted to do this when he doesn't have a dog in the fight, right? He. He's not having an affair with David. Becky here trying to connect with her son, yet also throwing him under the bus. It is just something I have never even thought of as a parent.

[Deborah Roberts]

Do you think that her. I mean, we didn't have the benefit of a trial to be able to sort out all these details which we would have learned more. Do you think it was just sort of the age old, let me get rid of the wife and then I can have the husband that I'm having the affair with.

[Ryan Smith]

I do. And I think that even David had talked to police about how he broke it off. But also David had continued having interactions with her after he said he broke it off. And even when Kay was attacked, Becky was the first person she called when he was trying to find Kay and couldn't get to her.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, as you said, you know, we didn't get a chance to know more about it because there was no trial. Our team did reach out though, to Becky and to Christopher with the hopes of hearing from them. Neither agreed to do an interview. But he, Chris, actually did send along this statement that says in part, I've never revisited the crime scene in my head until recently. I couldn't handle it. It's so dark. But it's a place I know I have to go to if I want to be able to live with myself. And I want to be able to live with myself someday. A person is dead because of actions I took. So, you know, I mean, again, it's not dripping with remorse, but he clearly recognizes that he's got to acknowledge that he did something pretty terrible.

[Ryan Smith]

You know, I just have to say a lot of times when we do these cases, I spend a lot of time thinking about the victims and the people associated with the victims case son,

[Deborah Roberts]

which is what it should be really about when we're talking about the crime. Yes.

[Ryan Smith]

And this, what Christopher says here reminds me of what a lot of people who have been convicted of crime sometimes do, which is they separate themselves from the situation. I think one of the most interesting things about what he says here is I've never revisited the crime scene in my head until recently. So K's relatives, they revisit that in their head every single day. Probably Christopher has the benefit of being able to say I haven't done it until recently, kind of indicating it would have been so hard for me. That is probably something that is very difficult for Kay's family to hear. But I tell you, Deborah, going through that neighborhood, just even talking to people randomly that we didn't get on camera, you got the sense that not only was this neighborhood always going to be affected by what happened to Kay, but that Kay will always be remembered as somebody who touched their life in a positive way.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, that's the most you can hope for in any of these communities that experience these tragedies. Ryan, as always, great connecting with you. We're gonna have to find time to see each other.

[Ryan Smith]

Yes, soon. Soon. Can't wait. And great talking to you as always.

[Deborah Roberts]

You too. So great to talk to you. Well, thank you also for being with us today and for just once again revisiting one of our stories. You can watch, of course, our 2020 episodes on Friday nights on ABC and you can stream episodes like this one on Disney and Hulu. Thanks for being with us everybody. Take take care. Have a good day.

[Ryan Smith]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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