Kay Parsons // 491

Summary

Podcast Summary: Going West: True Crime – Episode 491: Kay Parsons

Release Date: April 4, 2025
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman
Produced by Dark West Productions

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Introduction

In Episode 491 of Going West: True Crime, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve into the harrowing case of Kay Parsons, a beloved mother and army wife from the tranquil suburb of Grovetown, Georgia. This episode meticulously unpacks the intricate web of relationships, deceit, and ultimately, murder that shook a community deemed to be one of the safest in the state.

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Setting the Scene: Grovetown, Georgia

Grovetown, a serene suburb located about two hours east of Atlanta, is home to approximately 16,000 residents. Within this community lies Orchard Hill, a picturesque neighborhood of 2,000 families characterized by its manicured lawns and friendly atmosphere. It was here that two families—the Parsons and the Sears—lived side by side, seemingly epitomizing the American dream.

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The Parsons and Sears Families

The Parsons:

• Kay Parsons (Laverne Catherine Parsons): Born on February 11, 1968, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. She was a devoted wife and mother, working at Healing Hands Physical Therapy next door to her home.
• David Parsons: Kay’s husband, an army veteran who worked as a civilian contractor for the government, providing the family with a stable income but requiring frequent travel.
• Derek Parsons: Their 12-year-old son, enthusiastic about baseball and recently enlisted in the Marine Corps.

The Sears:

• Becky Sears: A friendly and outgoing mother of five, two from a previous relationship and three with her husband.
• Tony Sears: Becky’s husband, also with a military background.
• Michael Sears: The eldest son in his early 20s, struggling with employment and past drug issues.
• Christopher Sears: A 19-year-old son with a stable job and his own residence.

The two families shared a close bond, frequently going on double dates, vacations, and even participating in activities like Weight Watchers together. Their friendship seemed unbreakable, fostering a sense of community and mutual support.

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The Crime Unfolds

March 25, 2009:

• Morning Routine Disrupted: Kay Parsons leaves home around 7:15 AM after dropping Derek off at school and grabbing breakfast from McDonald's. Upon returning, she is ambushed in her home at approximately 8:30 AM.

• Initial Discovery: A handyman arrives for repairs, notices broken glass around the back door, and finds Kay nearly beaten to death with a bloodied baseball bat and claw hammer. Despite initial survival, Kay succumbs to her injuries later that day.

• Simultaneous Break-In: Just two days later, on March 27, 2009, Becky Sears is shot in the leg during what appears to be another robbery attempt outside Healing Hands Physical Therapy. Unlike Kay, Becky survives but provides a suspicious account of the assailant.

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Investigation and Suspicion

Early Suspects:

• Michael Sears: Given his proximity to the crime scenes, drug use, and being present during the initial burglary calls, Michael becomes a primary suspect. However, inconsistencies in his alibi and lack of blood evidence on him raise doubts.

• Christopher Sears: Initially viewed as the "upstanding citizen," Christopher's alibi appears solid until further evidence surfaces.

Revelation of an Affair:

• Unexpected Twist: A jailhouse informant, Jerry Jacobs, reveals that Becky Sears had been having an affair with David Parsons, Kay's husband. This revelation shifts the investigation’s focus, unveiling potential motives rooted in betrayal and jealousy.

  Daphne [07:00]: "Three years ago, we uncover a twisted affair that intertwined two families in the most malicious way."

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Deepening the Mystery

Police Findings:

• DNA Evidence: Christopher's DNA is found on both the baseball bat and the claw hammer used in Kay’s murder.
• Love Letters: Handwritten letters between David Parsons and Becky Sears emerge, showcasing the depth of their illicit relationship.
• Broken Alibis: Michael’s false claims about his employment and his brother Christopher's contradictory statements further implicate the Sears family.

Secondary Attack:

• Becky Sears: Her admission of an affair and the presence of blood in her vehicle adds another layer of complexity. Her evasive behavior and eventual arrest point towards her orchestrating the crimes.

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The Unraveling of Truth

Arrests and Confessions:

• Christopher Sears: Faced with overwhelming evidence and a failed polygraph test, Christopher is arrested for Kay’s murder.

• Becky Sears: Shortly after, Becky is also arrested, with evidence tying her directly to the orchestrated break-ins and the murder.

  Heath [20:12]: "It's so eerie because that baseball bat actually belonged to her son Derek... a child's baseball bat."

Sentencing:

• In May 2012, after three years in custody, Becky and Christopher plead guilty to the murders to avoid the death penalty. They receive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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Aftermath and Impact

Family Fallout:

• Tony Sears: Divorces Becky following her arrest.
• Michael Sears: Ultimately exonerated, struggling with the fallout from his wrongful suspicion.
• David Parsons: Remarries and continues to live in the family home.
• Derek Parsons: Joins the Marine Corps, seeking a path away from the traumatic events.

Community Reflection: The Grovetown community grapples with the betrayal and manipulation that led to the tragic loss of Kay Parsons. The intertwined lives of the Parsons and Sears families serve as a stark reminder of how underlying secrets and deceit can shatter even the most seemingly perfect neighborhoods.

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Conclusion

The case of Kay Parsons is a chilling testament to the destructive power of betrayal and manipulation within close-knit communities. Daphne and Heath expertly navigate through the layers of deceit, providing listeners with a compelling narrative that underscores the complexities of human relationships and the far-reaching consequences of infidelity.

Daphne [57:29]: "True betrayal, manipulation, backstabbing—all of that. So thank you guys so much for tuning in."

This episode not only sheds light on a lesser-known true crime case but also invites listeners to reflect on the importance of trust and honesty in maintaining harmonious communities.

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Notable Quotes

• Daphne [09:13]: "Both blonde and in their early 40s. K and Becky would go out for dinner and drinks frequently, like any friends would."

• Heath [20:12]: "It's so eerie because that baseball bat actually belonged to her son Derek… a child's baseball bat."

• Daphne [51:47]: "This woman is like the biggest backstabber I've ever seen."

• Heath [56:23]: "She was manipulated by his mother and now his entire life is over."

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Supporting Details

For listeners eager to explore more about this case and others, Going West: True Crime offers over 131 bonus episodes available on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions. These episodes provide deeper dives into similar true crime stories, expanding the investigative horizons beyond U.S. borders.

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Note: This summary intentionally omits promotional content and advertisements interspersed within the original transcript to maintain focus on the core narrative.

Transcript

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[Heath]

What is going on? True crime fans?

[Daphne]

I'm your host T. And I'm your host Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Big shout out to Shanique for recommending today's case that I had not heard about previously. I feel like there's really not a lot of coverage on this. There's the, the research that we had to do was a little bit more of a deep dive than usual just because it doesn't feel like this story is floating around very much.

[Heath]

Well, I mean it did happened about 20 years ago, but this story, this case has so many twists and turns. It's, it's honestly unbelievable.

[Daphne]

Yeah. There is truly so much betrayal in this story. So appreciate everybody tuning in for it. I want to mention really quick before we dive in and just remind you guys that we have 131 bonus episodes on patreon.com going west podcast, also on Apple subscriptions. That is just a great way to support the show and get a ton of ad free episodes that you have heard yet on Going West.

[Heath]

Absolutely. If you guys are on Apple subscriptions or you're, you're using Apple to listen to this show. It's so easy to subscribe and it really helps us out. So thank you guys for checking that out and thank you to everybody who's joined.

[Daphne]

And we just released two new episodes last week. The Mercy island murders that happened only a couple years ago off the coast of England. And then the Balanglo Forest murders that is about a serial killer in Australia murdering hitchhikers. Another crazy tale.

[Heath]

Yeah, loosely baited. Based on the 2005 movie Wolf Creek.

[Daphne]

Other way around, the murders are based on the movie the murder. The movie is based on the murders.

[Heath]

That's what I meant. That's what I meant. Anyways, go check out those bonus episodes. We love you guys. And without further ado, this is episode 491 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In March of 2009, a 41 year old woman living in Grovetown, Georgia was found beaten nearly to death in her home after she and her neighbor were robbed on the same morning. But when said neighbor was shot just two days later while leaving work, police uncovered a tangled web of deception and lies. This is the murder of Kay Parsons. The humble suburb of Grovetown, Georgia as a classic small town in the Peach State. About a two hour drive east of Georgia's capital, Atlanta. Upon entering the modest suburb of Grovetown, a wooden sign reads welcome to Grovetown, a community that cares. It was previously voted one of the safest areas in Georgia where a crime like homicide occurs incredibly infrequently. But today's case takes place right here within Grovetown in the picturesque neighborhood of Orchard Hill. While Grovetown at large has about 16,000 residents today, the family friendly community of Orchard Hill is occupied by only 2,000 people. It's actually pretty adorable. It's like a large loop of homes that's surrounded by a wooded area. It's complete with manicured front lawns and moderate sized homes. And while it's not considered super upscale, Orchard Hill is well maintained, appealing and home to many families living out their stereotypical American dreams. And two of those small town families are at the center of our story today. A story that would send shockwaves across this Georgian suburbia and eventually the whole country. Now first meet the Parsons, the all American family who seem to fit right in. Their home, located on Hot Springs Drive, was a somewhat modern build and the two story brick house had an open green front yard and a covered front porch looking out at the many other homes on their open street. But before discussing what happens in this neighborhood, let's backtrack a bit. Laverne Catherine Parsons, who went by Kay, was born on February 11, 1968 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania to parents Arthur and Mabel Sanner. She graduated from Laurel Highlands High school in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1987 and went on to marry her high school sweetheart, David Parsons.

[Heath]

Together, Kaye and David Parsons moved into the Georgia community of Orchard hill back in 2005 with their young son Derek. Four years later, in 2009, 41 year old Kay Parsons, her husband David, and 12 year old Derek were a busy, happy little family. According to neighbors and friends, Kay was a loving friend and a very devoted army wife and mother. Her husband David had a military career and previously worked at Fort Gordon in the nearby city of Augusta. Although he had since retired from active duty, David worked as a civilian contractor for the government, which was great because this job kind of provided the family with a stable income, but it also meant that he had to travel for work quite a bit. Alongside being a dedicated mother to Derek, Kaye also worked at a local physical therapy office called Healing Hands Physical Therapy, now in Orchard Hill, just next door to the Parsons, the Sears family lived in an equally pleasant home. The Parsons neighbors on Hot Springs Drive were a married couple named Becky and Tony Sears. And it was definitely a busy household over there too. Becky, who has been described as friendly and outgoing by many, was a mother to five children. Her eldest two sons were from a previous relationship, and Becky shared her younger three kids with her husband Tony. Becky's two older boys, Michael and Christopher, were only a few years apart, but very, very different. Michael, who was the eldest and in his early 20s at this point, was living at home in 2009 and was considered by some as a bit troubled. He had a hard time holding down a job, and in the past he had gotten mixed up in drugs. But then there was Christopher, who was 19 years old with a stable job, and he even had a house of his own nearby. So in the Sears home was a total of four kids, one of whom was friends with the parson's son Derek and played Little League with him. And this was perfect because Kay Parsons and Becky Sears weren't just next door neighbors, but they had become like best friends.

[Daphne]

Both blonde and in their early 40s. K and Becky would go out for dinner and drinks frequently, like any friends would, and they even joined Weight Watchers together at one point. They did a lot with each other. I mean, they even worked together at Healing Hands physical therapy.

[Heath]

So this seems like a perfect scenario. You know, your next door neighbors are your best friends and your kids hang out together, so it just seemed really great.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And this honestly is such a rarity because oftentimes you can't pick your neighbors. The chances of you having so many commonalities with your neighbor is not super common. And also on top of this, actually, their husbands, David and Tony were buddies as well, and they would often go on, you know, different outings for double dates, whether it was out to dinner or playing mixed doubles on their local tennis courts. So they did a lot of stuff together. Like, over the four years of friendship since the Parsons had moved on to Hot Springs drive, the two couples even vacation together. So any outsider could see that their lives were certainly intertwined. But only time would tell just how woven together they would ultimately become. At about 8:30am On Wednesday, March 25, 2009, a handyman arrived to the home of Kay and David Parsons for general repair when a pile of broken glass on the ground caught his attention. Something just didn't seem right and he wanted to check it out. Behind the Parsons brick home, the handyman realized the back door had been smashed in, leaving a mess of glass shards and broken fragments around the exterior of the house. The repairman called out to see if anyone was home, but there was no answer. And Kay was supposed to be there. So the fact that he sees this troubling scene and she's not answering, he feels like something happened. So puzzled at why the door was in such a state, the handyman knew better than to enter the house. Admittedly, he actually watched lots of television and knew that it would be best to keep his prints far from inside the home if something did happen, if someone did break in and somebody was hurt, like his mind was immediately going to that possibility.

[Heath]

Probably watched a lot of true crime shows.

[Daphne]

Absolutely. So he called 911 and waited for officials to arrive before doing anything else. But while he waited, the handyman was looking around for a bit for any other signs of disturbance when he noticed another strange detail. A young man sitting on a rock near the house who seemed to be a bit distraught. The young man said his name was Michael and he lived next door, which, as we know, would be Michael Sears. He had heard the Handyman's call to 911 to report the broken glass outside the parson's home. And Michael said his home, where he lived with his parents, Becky and stepfather Tony, had been broken into as well.

[Heath]

So by the time they're chatting, Michael had just called his mom, Becky to let her know that something had happened. But he hadn't called 911. With the 911 call from the handyman regarding the assumed robbery at the Parsons house, a local sergeant and a couple other officers drove through the residential streets, and they parked on Hot springs Drive right Outside, as the sergeant peeked around the house himself, he spotted blood through a window of the parson's home. So it's safe to say that it was not looking good. And as he entered, things only got worse. The sergeant trudged through the home and followed a trail of blood on the floor, accompanied by a crumpled up McDonald's bag, a spilled cup of coffee and a woman's handbag. As the sergeant made his way through the house, a handprint on the door leading into the garage prompted him to turn the handle. His eyes widened as he discovered a woman's body lying in a large puddle of blood on the concrete garage floor. What they would soon discover was that this woman was 41 year old Kay Parsons. As the sergeant knelt down to check her pulse, to his amazement, she still had one. She was still alive. So he loudly called out to his team and requested an ambulance immediately. I mean, he knew that they needed to act fast if they wanted any chance of saving her life. Within minutes, Kaye Parsons was rushed to the hospital, bloodied, battered and barely clinging to life. And like Daphne said a few minutes ago, this is a quaint and calm neighborhood. So the police were absolutely stunned that it seemed that they had two break ins on their hands and one assault on the same street. So let's talk about how things got to this state. When Kay woke up in bed that morning, she was alone. And this wasn't unusual for her. Her husband David was out of town on a work trip again, this time in Los Angeles, California, though one report said that it was in San Francisco. But either way, this was hard on their small family because a lot of his trips were out of state. So his frequent absence kind of frustrated Kay a little bit. You know, naturally she wanted him around more. But that day he was gone. It was just Kay and their tween son Derek in the house.

[Daphne]

So Kay got up and got herself ready for the day before waking up Derek to get ready for school. Since it was a Wednesday, the preteens scarfed down a bowl of cereal. Kay grabbed her handbag and the two rushed out the door for the routine morning school run. After dropping Derek off, Kay went through the McDonald's drive thru for a quick breakfast for herself and a coffee before heading back home. And remember, like Heath just said, there was a crumpled McDonald's bag, a spilled cup of coffee in her handbag, all in the same area of the house. So it really seemed like right when she got home she was ambushed. So she arrived home at about 7:15am Knowing the handyman was scheduled to come over that morning and would be arriving in a little over an hour from then. But as we know, when the handyman arrived at about 8:30, his calls were met unanswered, meaning something happened to Kay between 7:15am and 8:30 30am When Kay was rushed to the hospital at about 9:00am that morning, her son was still none the wiser that she had been hurt. So police made the harrowing call first to K's husband Dave. Receiving the phone call all the way in California in the very early morning hours, police asked that he return home immediately. While authorities were hesitant to share details over the phone, David had a gut wrenching feeling that his life was about to change forever. Now, as we know, the robbery at the Parsons residence would prove not to be a singular attack. As Kay was rushed to receive emergency care. Police made their way next door regarding the burglary at the Sears home because based on the horrific condition of Kay's body in her garage, police wondered if someone inside the Sears home had been met with a similar fate. Naturally, so fearful of what they may find, police entered the Sears house with purpose and found a total mess similar to the state of the Parsons home. There were drawers pulled out of cabinets and jewelry was missing. And on the inside of the back door, police noticed blood. But we'll talk more about that later. Preparing to find themselves another body. To their surprise, there weren't any. In fact, nobody was even home. So it seemed like someone had broken into both houses looking to steal items. And at the parson's home, the intruder may have been surprised to find someone was at the house. And then a struggle ensued. At least that's what it seemed like. Obviously we mentioned that Michael was home at the time he was outside, but he wasn't in the house home when it happened. So he's saying that he doesn't know what happened, he didn't see anybody, he was not there for the attacks.

[Heath]

But of course, you know, naturally police's brain, their brains are going to go towards Michael because he's the only person of note in that area. Right around the time that these burglaries took place.

[Daphne]

Yeah, absolutely. But they wanted to call the homeowner. So police, even though Michael had already called his mom. Police also called Becky Sears to alert her of the break in at her house because she was already at work for the day at the physical therapy office when it happened. Her youngest kids were already at school by then, just like Derek was. And Becky's husband Tony, who also worked for the military like David was out of town as well. So the only people that were in and around the Parsons and Sears home that morning, of course, other than the handyman, were Kay, Parsons and Michael, who remember, was in his early 20s at this time.

[Heath]

But after the urgent call from police, as well as the call just before this from Michael, Becky headed to the house with one of her other elder sons, 19 year old Christopher. Remember, Michael, who was seen on the rock outside the houses after the burglaries, is the eldest who lived with the family and Christopher is the one who lives on his own nearby. So when Becky and Christopher arrived at the house that day, Becky was already panicked and actually crying out for Kay when she got word that something terrible had happened to her during this seemingly random attack over at the hospital. Several of Kay's friends hurried over when the news caught on about what happened, just hoping that she would pull through. In an interview with Dateline, a dear friend of K's recalls that her face was heavily swollen and covered in bandages, making her unrecognizable as she lay in the hospital bed. Within hours after jumping on a flight from la, David arrived at the hospital and he rushed to Kay's side. But unfortunately, Kay's condition worsened as the day went on. She was definitely not out of the woods at all. And sadly, the very same day that she was attacked at her house, March 25, 2009, 41 year old Kay Parsons died in the hospital from traumatic head wounds. And to explain how this fatal wound occurred back at the Parsons house, police discovered a bloodied baseball bat beside Kay's body. And under her parked car, a bloodied claw hammer was discovered, which would both later be revealed to be the murder weapons.

[Daphne]

And it's so eerie because that baseball bat actually belonged to her son Derek, because playing baseball was one of his favorite things to do. And because the hammer was found under the car, it actually seemed to police like, you know, if this was committed by one person, that the hammer had gotten away from the killer somehow. So then they picked up the bat in an attempt to finish the job of murdering this poor woman.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's crazy to think that this attack first occurred with one weapon and then, you know, somehow whether it was through, you know, some sort of like, fight that happened between the two, that claw hammer got lost and then what, what's right next to him? Oh, a child's baseball bat. Let me grab that.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's just absolutely horrific. So with a young mother dead from an unthinkable attack and Two daytime home invasions. Police immediately jumped to action and started conjuring some persons of interest. And naturally, like you were saying before, Heath, they immediately looked at Becky's eldest son, Michael again. He had been sitting outside the home shortly after the burglaries were committed, and he was a known drug user. So they wondered, being home alone that morning, maybe he decided to break into the parson's home before things kind of went south. And then he staged a break in at his own home to look innocent. Well, in an interrogation with police, Michael admitted to taking methadone the morning of the murder. So that morning, for those who don't know, methadone is an addictive medication that's used to treat opioid use disorder and chronic pain. It doesn't actually make a person feel high. It usually gives this feeling of relaxation and positive well being. Like I said, it's pain relief. But it can have many side effects like dizziness, mood changes, and agitation as well. And robbery can, of course, be a common crime committed by drug users, which is often only aided in these types of side effects. Now, as we mentioned, Michael was unemployed at the time as well, meaning he had very few responsibilities. So investigators were highly suspicious that perhaps Michael could have broken into Kay's home to commit a burglary before killing her. As investigators question Michael, they noted the fact that he didn't have any blood on him, which would have been very unlikely considering the amount of blood at the scene and the vicious nature of.

[Heath]

The attack on K. Yeah, I mean, if you're gonna. If you're gonna beat a person to death with a baseball bat, there's gonna be an. And a hammer, there's gonna be some blood spatters on your shoes, your clothes, all over the place.

[Daphne]

Oh, absolutely. So. And there was no evidence that he was washing his clothes or anything like that. You know, of course, we're still not into the search, the full search of the home, but that was standing out to them that he did not have any blood on him. However, they did find shards of glass stuck to the bottom of his shoes, which of course, would place Michael at the scene of the smashed in door. But did he walk through it accidentally when he was going into his own house, or did it happen when he was breaking the windows? This is what police needed to figure out.

[Heath]

Well, Becky's other son, Christopher, was also interrogated by police and was heavily questioned regarding his older brother Michael, so they could get the inside scoop on who he was. Investigators hit Christopher with hard questions, insinuating that his brother Might have killed kids. But Christopher defended Michael, saying that there was absolutely no way that Michael was guilty. He did admit that his brother had used drugs, but Christopher claimed that it wasn't possible that his brother could possibly commit such a horrific act. It just wasn't at all in his character.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And just because he was home at the time like k had been, to be fair, and sometimes used drugs didn't mean that he was violent and capable or interested in stealing or killing. Like, I understand why police want to look at him to see, but you can't just say drug user. He's a criminal. You know, he'll do other horrible things.

[Heath]

Exactly. You can't, you can't kind of make that assumption. But Christopher did note that Michael had some pretty sketchy friends, and he was very suggestive that investigators should look deeper into this circle of friends. Like maybe someone who had been over at the house at some point decided to cause trouble in his family's nice neighborhood. Regarding Christopher's own alibi, he had been with his mom Becky at her place of work. Again, healing hands therapy. That morning. He told police that he woke up in his own home nearby at 7am and his mom Becky picked him up at 7:10am before they both headed to the physical therapy office in a neighboring town, which was about 10 miles away.

[Daphne]

Everyone's waking up getting up at 7am.

[Heath]

This day, I guess so. Well, Michael went in with Becky that day to help her out at work, where they remained until they got the call from Michael and police regarding the break ins on their street.

[Daphne]

While police were still looking deeper into Michael, he explained his whereabouts in Alibi 2. He said that earlier that morning at about 7am of course, his mom Becky dropped him off at work. But the problem is, as we've just said, Michael didn't have a job.

[Heath]

So this was obviously a lie.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And his mom didn't know this either. So he said, hey, mom, can you drop me off at work? And she did. But he didn't actually have a job. So she or he had her drop him off at like a job site that he didn't actually work at and was lying to her about having a job. And now he was telling the police that he had a job too, that he had somehow been out before the break ins and then back at home right after they occurred, which only made him look way more suspicious.

[Heath]

Yeah. What did you work for an hour like? No.

[Daphne]

Well, exactly. So he, he pretty much had to come clean to detectives as they were prying for more details. He probably Thought he could just say, yeah, I know I didn't do this. I was at work expecting maybe that they wouldn't look into that. But they're saying, where do you work? Tell us about this, tell us about this. And he's saying, okay, look, I don't have a job. I'm lying to you, I'm lying to my mom. And he said that actually that morning he was not at work, but he was at his friend Anthony's house. At this point, not only were police suspicious of Michael, but they were also suspicious of Michael's friends, per the conversation that they had with Christopher. So they asked his friend Anthony to come down to the station, and there Anthony claimed that he was with Michael that morning, March 25, when Kay was murdered and the break ins occurred. Anthony said that Michael had planned on going to his place that morning and he arrived around 6:45am which is obviously very early for two young men to be hanging out on a weekday. But this does match kind of loosely with the timeline that Michael said. He said it was around 7am and Anthony said it was at 6:45am but even so, Anthony said that they were just hanging out and watching TV for a while before Michael left to go back to his house. And I will say it would make sense for him to go to Anthony's if he had his mom drop him off somewhere and he has to pretend he's at work to kind of keep up the ruse. So he says, hey, I'm out of the house. Want to hang out?

[Heath]

Yeah, you got to do something to kind of kill that time while you're not at your job, that you don't have exactly.

[Daphne]

At least for a little bit before going home when you're like, okay, I've had enough. However, police had Anthony take a polygraph test to prove to them that he was telling the truth. And he failed it. His test showed deception. You know, we don't like to put a ton of weight in polygraph tests. There are so many factors to them being accurate. But it did seem like some of his answers were deceptive. Though Anthony was adamant that he was not involved in Kay's murder and that he and Michael were together that morning.

[Heath]

Well, Anthony said that Michael left his house at exactly 8:27am which is minutes before the handyman arrived at the parson's home. Meaning that Michael would have arrived home to stumble upon the same mess that the handyman had stumbled upon at the exact same time if this was true. And while it does seem suspicious for Anthony to recall the exact time that Michael left. Anthony said he remembered looking at the clock as Michael departed and just said that it stuck with him. Although police had their suspicions against Michael and Anthony, they had the same story. And because they had questioned Michael so quickly that morning, they kinda knew that he wouldn't really have time to create or fake a story or timeline with Anthony. And usually when fake alibis are made, someone usually messes up. But they said the same things in detail. So it kinda makes sense here now, since Kay had arrived home at approximately 7:15 that morning after dropping Derek off at school and grabbing some McDonald's breakfast. That leaves a little over an hour before the handyman arrived there at around 8:30am According to Michael and Anthony, they were both at Anthony's house. During this window of time, with Anthony seemingly off the table and Michael still investigator's main person of interest, another event took place that really thickened the plot here. Two days after the murder of Kay Parsons, another alarming 911 call was made. But this time Kay's neighbor and best friend Becky would be the victim. The emergency call was made from a cell phone right outside of Healing Hands Therapy. Becky Sears was frantic on the other end of the receiver and between panic and labored breathing, Becky claimed that she had been shot. Sirens filled the quiet streets and police arrived to the parking lot to investigate. In light of the attack on the Parsons home just two days earlier, police were led to believe that there was a madman on the loose with two neighbors, two best friends being attacked by an unknown perpetrator, one right after the other.

[Daphne]

Foreign.

[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Daphne]

While Becky was only shot in the leg, it was actually more of a leg grazed than a gunshot wound. She was in the hospital when police sat at her bedside and took notes on what happened. She told them she was leaving work when an unknown black man came out from behind a tree in the parking lot. She said the man startled her while she was walking towards her vehicle and demanded cash when she didn't give him any, as it all happened so fast, she explained that the assailant shot her in the leg and told her that when he came back next time he would shoot her in the face. In a flash, the man turned around and disappeared back into the bushes, prompting her call to 91 1. So we have two really strange situations on our hands. I mean, usually with robberies, the burglar doesn't want to commit violence because it's such a larger offense than stealing, obviously. So the fact that k was murdered so violently was already kind of confusing. But now allegedly or presumably, the same person demands money from Becky, and before she even has time to get any from her bag, he shoots her in the leg, threatens her, and leaves. Like, absolutely doesn't make sense.

[Heath]

Yeah, it seems like this whole story is just something is being made up here. They're just trying to figure out what it is.

[Daphne]

But while in the hospital, police question Becky again, of course, to get her full account of what happened. But this time, they're wondering if she specifically had any enemies that would not only want to break into her house, but shoot her and potentially, of course, harm her friend. And it was during this conversation that she said, you know, mentioned very casually that she had had an affair, but that it was over. Like, she wouldn't even tell them who she stepped out on Tony with. She said it wasn't relevant. This guy would not be involved. And then she wanted to shut down the conversation. She was immediately trying to kind of backpedal and eat her words. So, of course, police found this very suspicious, but they put it on the back burner for the time being.

[Heath]

And this is kind of crazy because they're not pushing her about this. This would be motive for somebody to want to hurt you. If there's an affair going on, that could be a motive here. So the fact that they're just like, well, okay, let's put this on the back burner. Like, I get it. They don't have. If she's not gonna say anything, there's not much they can do. But you would assume that she would want to help the investigation as well.

[Daphne]

Yeah. The only thing I could think of, like, a reason why she wouldn't want to do that is if she was having an affair and hiding it, obviously from her husband and her family, then maybe she. She wouldn't want it dredged up, because this would mean. If she's saying, I know that he wasn't involved in this, I don't want it to destroy my marriage.

[Heath]

And, you know, that's probably what she was thinking in that moment.

[Daphne]

Right. So they're. They're kind of like, okay, that's kind of weird. But obviously they want to know who this guy is because he could be the person behind all of this. But anyway, back at the scene in the parking lot of Healing Hands, Becky's shoes and a bullet casing were found, which proved that an attack did occur. This being 2009. Authorities hoped that there would be some footage of this attack, but there were no cameras at Healing Hands physical therapy that could help lead them to any possible shooter. They only had Becky's word the morning.

[Heath]

After Becky was shot in the parking lot. And still only a couple days after Kay's murder. Police continue to try and piece together this strange puzzle. And things were about to get even weirder when that day, three days after Kaye's murder, a jailhouse informant provided some fascinating information to police. Enter Jerry Jacobs. Jerry was in jail for a previous and unrelated crime, and he decided to tell the police that his sister was Becky Sears and Becky had been having an affair. And obviously they already knew this by now, but it was Jerry who finally explained who the affair was with, which turns out was extremely relevant to this case because this affair was with none other than David Parsons, her best friend, Kay's husband. In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed that Becky and David had been seeing each other for more than six months.

[Daphne]

Some best friend, right?

[Heath]

Totally backstabbing her best friend. Well, to corroborate Jerry's statement, police found a series of handwritten love letters between David and Becky that proved the intensity of how close they had become. And, I mean, this wasn't just some little hookup. They had seemingly been in a full blown relationship and would write each other lengthy, sincere love letters when they were apart. An excerpt of a note that David penned to Becky while he was on a work Trip months prior Read. Rebecca, I just wanted to let you know that even when you don't think I'm thinking about you, I am. I can't wait to see you. I love you, baby. I miss you so much when we aren't together.

[Daphne]

And in one of the countless letters Becky wrote to David, one line reads, Being apart from you is very difficult. But being in love with you and knowing that you love me makes all of the time that we are apart bearable. Well, in spite of their full on romance, David told Becky that he couldn't leave Kay because if he divorced his wife, she would be entitled to half his pension. He also told Becky that he didn't want to leave kay until their 12 year old son Derek graduated from college. As is the case with many married folks. And while many extramarital affairs usually remain between the two people involved, this wasn't the case for David Parsons and Becky Sears. Obviously, we all know about it right now, but I mean before the murder even occurred. Because a month before it occurred, Kay learned about all of it. She confronted her husband David that she had found out and she was completely devastated. David admitted to the affair, but promised her that it would end and they could work on their marriage to save their family. They figured the best way to move on from this was to relocate and sell their house so that they could have some physical distance from the Sears. And actually the Parsons put the house on Hot Springs Drive for sale in an effort to make that first big step into fixing their relationship. But of course, Kay was killed before they could get that far. So with the knowledge of the affair, police now had David on their radar, even though he was out of town when the crime occurred. But it doesn't mean he didn't hire somebody to do it. Or was at least part of. Part. Part of the plot, right?

[Heath]

Yes, exactly.

[Daphne]

So through tears of guilt and possibly regret after Kay's funeral, David admitted to the affair to police. He came clean about all of his wrongdoings. But he also said that he didn't kill his wife. It was kind of hard too, because he was showing a lot of emotion upon Kay's death. Again, were these tears of guilt for being a part of her murder or guilt for cheating on her? You know, the police were paying attention to his emotions. So when they questioned David further, he told police that he and Becky would have rendezvous all over town, admitting that they had sex many times at both of their homes, in Becky's mom's house, but mostly in their cars. But David also admitted that he And Becky continued to secretly see each other even after he promised his wife, K that the affair was over.

[Heath]

Cheater. God, you just can't quit it.

[Daphne]

This is what really bothers me about the fact that he's like, let's sell the house. Let's get out of here. You know, I understand why you would both actually want to move. Because he doesn't want to see his mistress all the time. And she doesn't want to see her backstabbing best friend who was stepping out on her own husband for her husband every day. But the fact that he's like, hey, let's just move. And then he keeps seeing her like, you are the problem. Yeah, address your cowardly behavior and then we'll talk about moving.

[Heath]

Exactly. If you want to move and you want to be out of the woods here and you want to really work on our marriage, then stop fucking cheating, bro.

[Daphne]

It's wild that he just continued, but, you know, it seems like it really was all a lie. And it seems like he really didn't want her, K. I mean, to get half his pension. And he didn't want to go through a divorce while their son was still in school, and he wanted to still continue to have a mistress. But he did tell police that he and Becky's affair was not physical. After they called it off, though, he did admit to meeting up with Becky where he said they would just talk.

[Heath]

But, I mean, come on, this is hard to believe, considering police also found out that David and Becky had phone sex with each other the night before Kay was murdered while David was in California. So it really seemed like he had promised Kay one thing, but he was still stepping out on her and on their marriage.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I mean, he's completely lying.

[Heath]

Well, after questioning David, investigators absolutely recognized David as a scummy adulterer, but they didn't believe that he was involved in his wife's murder, which is such a.

[Daphne]

Rarity in cases like this.

[Heath]

Yeah, usually the husband is involved or the cheater is involved. Well, while the dirty truths of Hot Springs Drive were nothing less than a soap opera, Becky's older son, Michael, was still getting grilled by investigators. So obviously, the police believed that this affair angle was pretty interesting, but they kind of thought, you know, maybe the people that were involved in this affair had nothing to do with the murder and that maybe Michael had found out about it and upset that his own family could be broken up. Even though Tony wasn't his biological father, that he killed K because of this. In a three hour long interrogation, police tried to persuade him to admit his knowledge about the affair. But Michael didn't budge. He claimed that he had no idea about the affair and would have no reason to kill or even harm K.

[Daphne]

Yeah, like in Michael's defense, it's not K's fault. I would get this angle if maybe David was the one dead, but not K. It's like police are really trying to create a narrative that is not lining up.

[Heath]

Yeah. It's just not there. So at this point, Michael was maintaining his innocence. And considering his fairly solid alibi for the morning that Kay was murdered, investigators were starting to believe that maybe Michael wasn't the guy that they were looking for. While he did have a lot going against him, officials knew that they had to keep an open mind. And they were getting some more interesting information from Becky's brother, the jailhouse informant, Jerry Jacobs.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because Jerry had also spilled to police that Becky had asked him to execute the crime, the crime of Kay's murder. So here's her brother claiming that Becky was at the helm of this murder. So Jerry said that she asked him if he could help her make Kay's death look like an accident by cutting the brakes on her car to cause a horrible car wreck. And Jerry, you know, yes, he was in jail at this point, but he was like a small time criminal. He's not, he's not trying to get involved in something like this. So he was just in total disbelief that his sister is asking him to do something so wild. So he said, absolutely not. He did not want to get involved in her drama. Especially when the repercussions could be so great. The, the repercussions of murder are huge.

[Heath]

Yeah, it's. It's not very casual. Even if your brother is doing small petty crimes and shit and he's in jail, it's not something that people really want, you know, it's not.

[Daphne]

He's already in jail, he doesn't want to stay in jail, and he's not gonna get anything out of this.

[Heath]

Yeah, he'd be in jail for the rest of his life if he was caught.

[Daphne]

Exactly. So he's like, absolutely not. Even though he's saying she asked him multiple times. But back to the actual affair, because not only did Kay know about it, we know Jerry did. But before the murders, Becky would also incessantly call her 19 year old son Christopher, crying in desperation about how badly she wanted David to leave Kay. And imagine this, like this is a mother in her 40s calling her 19 year old son all the time crying to him about her love life. Like.

[Heath]

Yeah, about her affair. That's so crazy.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's so. Oh, my God, it's so weird. And obviously, again, Tony wasn't Christopher's biological dad, so he wouldn't have had the same reaction if, you know, Becky was telling her younger kids. But still, Becky made it clear to Christopher that she wanted K gone, no matter the lengths it took to make it happen. As we know, during the morning of the attack, Christopher told police that he hadn't shown up to his own job that day, but instead went to healing hands physical therapy to help his mom at the office, which we also mentioned earlier, had no security cameras. So the lack of footage proving that they were there and the shaky alibi only made Christopher and Becky look all the more guilty.

[Heath]

And to police, it was clear that Christopher was a die hard mama's boy and he would do anything for Becky. In fact, the only reason that he owned a home was because Becky bought it for him. So even though it seemed like Michael was the troubled one and Christopher was the upstanding citizen that had his shit together, it was actually the opposite. And because Becky did so much for Christopher, he was kind of at her mercy in another interrogation. Still, three days after Kay's murder, the day that Jerry called them to expose the affair, police brought Christopher Bowers into the station again. But he decided to lawyer up and stop talking. But unfortunately for Christopher, it was too late. Investigators had enough reason to believe that he was behind Kay's murder, and he was arrested right there and right then. As you can probably guess, investigators knew Christopher wasn't solely guilty. So that Same afternoon, Friday, March 28, 2009, Becky Sears was also arrested in connection with Kay's murder. And the unique thing about this case was that there was no trial. The police had enough evidence from DNA and witnesses to make both Becky and Christopher really think about their options in jail for the next three years as legal proceedings delayed. Because guess what? Christopher Bauer's DNA was on the baseball bat and hammer that was found at the scene. There was also blood found in Becky's vehicle on the driver's side door, the parking brake, and the seat. Based on what Jerry Jacobs told them about the affair, along with informing them that Becky had asked him on multiple occasions to get rid of K4. Everything was falling into place. So police posited that Becky staged the two home break ins in an attempt to throw investigators off, meaning the home invasions were a red herring to cover up the real purpose, which was Kay's murder. But things are about to get even more insane because Becky, ever the loyal friend, spouse and mother, turned the tables on her own son. After her arrest, 41 year old Becky Sears explained to police that on the morning of March 25, 2009, she had taken her youngest three children to school before briefly coming back home before work. When she arrived, she told police that Christopher was in her house with blood on his face and that he admitted to K's murder before the police showed up and said to her, quote, I took care of everything. I beat the fuck out of her.

[Daphne]

This woman is like the biggest backstabber I've ever seen.

[Heath]

She's such a piece of shit.

[Daphne]

Like even your own son who, like you're the one who made him do this. And obviously I'm not saying he's innocent. He did this. I don't care who asks you to murder somebody, you don't do it. But I just can't believe she's saying all this.

[Heath]

It's honestly just very manipulative. Like she's manipulating everybody in her life. She convinced her son to murder the woman that was getting in the way of her affair. And then she rolls over on him and manipulates police into, you know, by saying that, oh, it was all his fault, like he's the one that killed her and I'm just trying to help him out.

[Daphne]

And that's all after she complained about the fact that David wasn't leaving K to her son over and over again. And it's like, why are you asking everybody in your life to murder somebody for you? Like that really is such manipulation. Because she's not doing it herself. She's trying to make sure that if somebody goes down for it, it's not gonna be her, even though she's the one who wants this done. But there was proof that Becky was involved. We know at least she was at the helm of the plant. Thanks to confessions, phone pings and DNA evidence, it was determined that that morning, Becky picked up her son Christopher from his house and brought him to her house. Christopher hid in the backyard of Kay's home awaiting her return while Becky dropped off the other kids at school. And then when Kay arrived home, Christopher entered her house and attacked her her brutally. This is when she would have dropped her coffee and her breakfast. When he was done, he called his mom, Becky. She picked him up and helped him dispose of his bloody clothes. They then decided to stage a shooting outside of Healing Hands with Christopher grazing Becky's leg with a bullet, which by the way, apparently was not the plan. And she was very Upset about the fact that he shot her.

[Heath]

Yeah, he's like. He's like, okay, I'm just gonna pretend that I'm gonna shoot you and then actually fucking shoots her.

[Daphne]

Yeah, seriously.

[Heath]

Idiots.

[Daphne]

Well, although both Becky and Christopher said originally that they were not guilty of the crimes, with all this evidence, Becky and Christopher's attorneys negotiated a guilty plea on both of their accounts, which I also feel like is a rarity. Usually they push and they push and they try to prove that they are innocent, and then they. They keep that and they take it to the grave. But they were like, we're caught.

[Heath]

Yeah, there's nothing we can do now.

[Daphne]

So on May 11, 2012. So three years. Over three years after they were arrested, they were sitting in jail for three years. Becky and Christopher were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, avoiding trial and the death penalty for their idiotic and horrific scheme.

[Heath]

Kay Parsons, the innocent suburban wife and mother, was bludgeoned to death in her own home with a claw hammer and a baseball bat. Her neighbor and best friend Becky had masterminded the staged break ins and the murder, acting as a puppet master, pulling the strings of her son Christopher, who did what she asked. As for the rest of their families, when Becky got sentenced, her husband Tony divorced her. Of course, Becky's son Michael was innocent.

[Daphne]

All along, which is so sad. This poor kid, you know, he was looked at as this, this criminal and this horrible guy just because he didn't have a job and he did drugs sometimes. And the guy who was looked at, like you said earlier, Heath, as this upstanding citizen.

[Heath]

Yeah, the golden child.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Was actually the murderer. And thanks to Michael and his help, this case was solved.

[Heath]

Well, Kay's widowed husband David eventually remarried and remained living in the home on Hot Springs Drive where the crime took place. Their son Derek later joined the Marine Corps and is now in his late 20s. The week after Kay's death, her funeral service was held in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, near where she grew up, creating a permanent resting place where her loved ones can now go to remember the wonderful woman and mother whose life was senselessly cut far too short.

[Daphne]

Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. This is one of those cases where you really don't know what's gonna happen till the very end. I mean, it's like at first you thought it might have been Michael, you thought it might have been David. It could have been Tony, it could have been somebody else altogether, and it.

[Daphne]

Was such a twist that it was Christopher, like, honestly still shocked that he was the one behind this, but he was manipulated by his mother and now his entire life is over.

[Heath]

I can't even believe that. It's just all around heartbreaking and so.

[Daphne]

Dumb and horrifying from K's perspective. To walk into her house and hears her best friend's son in her house with a hammer coming at her so suddenly. Like, that must have been so confusing for her.

[Heath]

And this is a kid that she's known for a long time because, you know, the families would take vacations together. They knew each other really well. They went on double dates together. I'm sure their kids grew up together. So it's just so sad that this happened.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Because even though they only lived there for four years, that's still four years of living right next to these people. And Christopher had only moved into his own house within that past year. So there was three years of this kid living next door to you, and now he's in your house with a hammer attacking you.

[Heath]

I also feel for Tony because he had no idea that, you know, his very good friend David was having sex with his wife.

[Daphne]

Yeah. This whole, I mean, true, true, true betrayal, manipulation, backstabbing, all of that. So thank you guys so much for tuning in. Make sure you check out our socials if you guys want to see photos from this case and the other cases we cover. And don't forget to check out all of our bonuses episodes, all 131 and counting of them, because we cover some crazy cases over there on patreon.com going west podcast and Apple subscriptions, many of which take place outside of the U.S. yes.

[Heath]

Make sure you go check those out. All right, guys, so for everybody out.

[Daphne]

There in the world, don't be a stranger.

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