Grape Creek Man Sentenced to 99 Years for Threatening Sister with Bread Knife

It took the jury over three and a half hours to find 50-year-old James Ray Parker guilty on Tuesday, following a speedy trial that began around 1:45 p.m. Monday and had rested by noon the following day. At just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the six men and six women of the jury panel declared Parker guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by threat against a family member; the punishment phase resumed on Wednesday morning.

The trial centered on the assault of Parker's sister, Vickie Parker, with whom he lived and was sharing a house out in Grape Creek on March 18, 2013. That night, witnesses testified, the siblings were in the living room watching the news, when James Parker became angry that his sister was sending text messages to her friends. James Parker then brandished a bread knife and threatened to cut his sister's head off.

Vickie fled the house to the front porch and declared she was leaving to stay with her daughter and son-in-law; however, James followed her out and pushed her off the steps, hitting and kicking her on the ground in front of the residence, witnesses told. She was later taken to the hospital and received treatment for minor injuries. 

Parker pled not guilty to the charge on Monday afternoon, but a jury decided otherwise on Tuesday and heard a record of his bad acts in the courtroom, when state's attorney John Best and defense counsel Jimmy Stewart made their final arguments. The state introduced evidence of the defendant’s prior criminal history, which included six prior felony convictions and 10 misdemeanor convictions dating back to 1984.  The defense offered the testimony of the defendant, as well as the victim.  

During his testimony, James Parker spoke about a pending federal case for civil rights violations and claimed that the US marshals that were purported to have arrested him in the case were in fact not the ones that actually served the warrant, a fact proven false by jail records. He also touched on an old family feud involving money, which had caused a rift between himself and his sister and apparently involved a family member scamming them out of millions. 

He seemed agitated as he answered questions upon direct examination, his mood only intensifying as Best asked questions.

Vickie Parker also testified for the defense, expressing a fear for herself, but also the community if her brother were to be set free. She recalled a conversation prior to the assault during which her brother and a female friend of his had talked about James coupling up with the girl's mother. The mother was still married, however, and Vickie remembered her brother commenting something to the effect of he'd just have to kill him. Vickie was concerned about his escalating violent tendencies, and she stated that her brother is in need of help.

After hearing the evidence, the jury deliberated for approximately an hour and a half before returning a 99-year sentence Wednesday morning. 

"We appreciate this jury’s hard work and thoughtful consideration of the evidence in this case," the DA's office released in a statement. "In assessing punishment, First Assistant District Attorney John Best specifically asked the jury to consider the dangerous nature of the defendant’s conduct as well as his choices over the last 30 years to continue committing crimes. Hopefully, a 99-year sentence will resonate with repeat felony offenders."

On Tuesday prior to the sentencing and the guilty verdict, Vickie Parker repeated many times that she wished her brother would receive help and not be sent to the penitentiary. When the verdict was read out, James turned to his sister with a look of disgust and mouthed something that appeared to include "when I get out".