(TheIndependentStar.com) – Following the grisly murders of two Dartmouth College professors, killer James Parker has been granted parole as he nears his 40th birthday and after spending two decades behind bars.
Parker’s crime involved a plot to secure cash to move to Australia, which tragically ended in the murders of Half and Susanne Zantop in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Parker was 16 years old when he and his friend Robert Tulloch, who was 17 at the time, killed the couple with the intention of stealing around $10,000 to fund their escape to Australia.
The duo’s scheme was to fake interest in environmental research to gain entry into homes with the intent to tie up the occupants, steal their financial information and kill them.
During his recent parole hearing, Parker said he regretted the “unimaginably horrible” acts he committed and acknowledged the irreparable pain he caused the victims and their families.
Throughout his incarceration, Parker reportedly made concerted efforts toward rehabilitation and extended support to other inmates, as highlighted by his attorney and Department of Corrections representatives.
Parker and Tulloch’s murderous plot targeted the Zantop residence for its apparent wealth and isolated setting. Within minutes of gaining access to their home on January 27, 2001, both teenagers murdered 62-year-old Half Zantop and his 55-year-old wife Susanne.
The pair then fled with Half Zantop’s wallet but they left behind knife sheaths and a bloody boot print that eventually linked them to the crime.
After a brief period on the run, both Parker and Tulloch were caught at an Indiana truck stop.
Since he cooperated with the authorities and testified against Tulloch, Parker was convicted on a second-degree murder charge, carrying a sentence of 25 years to life.
He had previously sought a sentence reduction in 2018 but retracted his petition when the Zantops’ daughters opposed his move.
Tulloch, who accepted guilt for first-degree murder, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
He awaits a resentencing hearing in light of a 2012 Supreme Court ruling deeming mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders unconstitutional.
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