John Ward Warren Parsons
Encyclopedia
John Parsons is 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.
jail on Saturday, July 29, 2006. He asked his mother for help in escaping, but she was arrested before plans could be made. Parsons made a rope from bedsheets, newspaper and toilet paper, which he hid behind a brick in the wall of his cell. He used toothpaste and green and blue Jolly Ranchers to match the paint on the wall to disguise the broken mortar around the loose brick, which Parsons had carved out with a piece of metal from an air vent in his jail cell.
As a fugitive, he was twice featured on the Fox television show America's Most Wanted
. He appeared for a third time on that program on September 30, 2006, when he became the 484th fugitive listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list
. After his escape there were numerous reported sightings of Parsons in heavily wooded areas near Chillicothe.
National Geographic Channel
trasmitted the history of the escapes, in the documentary
of show Breakout, Ohio's Most Wanted.
in Pickaway County
, southwest of Columbus
.
Parsons, who led local, state and national law enforcement on a three-month chase after his escape, stood before Judge Jhan Corzine in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 pm and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder
and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
. Prior to his capture on October 19, 2006, he was an FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
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 that evening, Chillicothe police responded to a report of a car being stolen from a restaurant. Just 15 minutes later, a disguised armed man robbed a BP gas station. The getaway car used in the robbery matched the description of the stolen vehicle. 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 parents' house to his own, off-duty Officer Larry Cox also took up the foot chase, and confronted the robber in an alleyway near Chestnut and North High streets. Cox was shot and killed in the alley. Several clues led investigators to John Parsons, whom police arrested May 1, 2005, and charged with the killing.Escape
Parsons escaped from the Ross CountyRoss County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
jail on Saturday, July 29, 2006. He asked his mother for help in escaping, but she was arrested before plans could be made. Parsons made a rope from bedsheets, newspaper and toilet paper, which he hid behind a brick in the wall of his cell. He used toothpaste and green and blue Jolly Ranchers to match the paint on the wall to disguise the broken mortar around the loose brick, which Parsons had carved out with a piece of metal from an air vent in his jail cell.
As a fugitive, he was twice featured on the Fox television show America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
. He appeared for a third time on that program on September 30, 2006, when he became the 484th fugitive listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s
-FBI Headlines in the 2000s:The 2000s started out badly for the FBI's much needed attempts to upgrade technology. First, the Trilogy project went far over the $380 million budget, and behind its three-year schedule. Then, Virtual Case File, or VCF, planned for completion in 2003, was officially...
. After his escape there were numerous reported sightings of Parsons in heavily wooded areas near Chillicothe.
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
trasmitted the history of the escapes, in the documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
of show Breakout, Ohio's Most Wanted.
Capture
Parsons was captured in eastern Chillicothe on October 19, 2006. 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. After being booked into the Ross County jail, Parsons was transferred to the Pickaway Correctional InstitutionPickaway Correctional Institution
The Pickaway Correctional Institution is a state prison located in Orient, Ohio, USA which mostly houses minimum and medium security inmates. PCI was opened as a prison in 1984 after the buildings which formerly housed a facility for MRDD had been closed...
in Pickaway County
Pickaway County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 105 people per square mile . There were 18,596 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
, southwest of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Parsons, who led local, state and national law enforcement on a three-month chase after his escape, stood before Judge Jhan Corzine in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 pm and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.