John Parsons is a carpenter as well as a criminal from Chillicothe, Ohio. Prior to his capture on October 19, 2006, he was an FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, escape, aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, weapons under disability, tampering with evidence, and grand theft.

Murder

Parsons was facing capital charges for the April 21, 2005 murder of Chillicothe Police Officer Larry R. Cox following a gas station robbery. On the evening of April 21, 2005, Chillicothe Police responded to a report of a stolen car being taken from a restaurant. Just 15 minutes later, a disguised armed man robbed the BP Gas Station. The getaway car used in the robbery matched the description of the vehicle stolen earlier. After being chased by a Chillicothe police officer, the suspect bailed out of the car and took off running. At around 10 pm, as he walked from his parent's house to his own, off-duty officer Larry Cox also took up the foot chase, and confronted the robber in an alley way near Chestnut and North High Streets. Cox was shot and killed in the alley. The following clues led investigators to John Parsons, whom police arrested May 1, 2005 and charged with the killing. ^[1]

Escape

He escaped from the Ross County, Ohio Jail on Saturday July 29, 2006. Parsons was eager to escape. He first asked his mother for help, but she was arrested. Then, he used some basic tools such as a rope made out of toilet paper and bedsheets, he also used a metal object to break loose one of the room's brick to keep his makeshifts. He would replace the brick with toothpaste to make it seem like mortar.

As a fugitive, he was twice featured on the Fox Network television show America's Most Wanted. He made a third appearance on that program on September 30, 2006, when he became the 484th fugitive listed by the FBI on the Ten Most Wanted list. Since his escape there were numerous reported sightings of Parsons in heavily wooded areas near Chillicothe.^[2]

Capture

Parsons was captured on October 19, 2006 in eastern Chillicothe. He was arrested without incident by members of the Ross County Tactical Assault Team at approximately 12:20 pm at a small shack near the Chillicothe city limits. A number of law enforcement tactical units converged on the location and planned the arrest to avoid injury to any law enforcement personnel or to Parsons. ^[3] After being booked into the Ross County Jail, Parsons was transferred to the Orient Correctional Institution in Pickaway County, Ohio, southwest of Columbus. ^[4]

Parsons, who led local, state and national law enforcement on a four-month-long chase after fleeing the Ross County Jail in July, stood before Judge Jhan Corzine in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 p.m. and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and other charges...He was sentenced to death. Image gallery==

Parsons, who led local, state and national law enforcement on a four-month-long chase after fleeing the Ross County Jail in July, stood before Judge Jhan Corzine in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 p.m. and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and other charges

References

Parsons, who led local, state and national law enforcement on a four-month-long chase after fleeing the Ross County Jail in July, stood before Judge Jhan Corzine in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 p.m. and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and other charges, He was sentenced to life without parole.

Links

• http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=31484

• http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/parsons_jw.htm

• http://www.fbi.gov/page2/september06/parsons093006.htm