Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fatal Vows: You Only Die Once’ chronicles the ugly murder of a 40-year-old electrician, Frank Parker, in Valparaiso, Indiana, in February 2002. While the investigators have been in a deadlock, a helpful informant arrived with an necessary tip that helped them to unravel the homicide. If you’re contemplating determining what occurred subsequent, along with the killers’ id and current whereabouts, we’ve your once more. Let’s dive in then, we may?
How Did Frank Parker Die?
Frank Jay Parker was born to Elizabeth (nee Butt) and the late Russell Parker in Maryland on February 25, 1961. He was a youthful, hard-working electrician who moved to Florida in quest of a model new life for himself. His girlfriend, Kathy Witmer, recounted, “Frank had a smile that went from ear to ear. That would just when he smiles, his eyes twinkled.” His co-worker, Michael Sarkey, described him as a wonderful worker and an brisk one which was considerably introverted.
Frank met Kimberly “Kim” Baldwin in a Floria Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, the place he was accompanying one among his brothers. Unlike Frank, Kim was extroverted, nonetheless he labored up the nerve to ask her out. The two dated for just some years sooner than they’ve been married on September 25, 1991. Kim already had a son from a earlier relationship, Grahm, and the couple gave begin to a daughter named Katie. However, their relationship broke down, and the couple had a significantly ugly divorce.
On February 16, 2002, Frank dropped the children in a kids’s residence in Valparaiso in Porter County, Indiana, for Kim’s supervised go to with the youngsters. However, when he didn’t flip up after the regulated visitation was over, the home’s authorities contacted Kathy, Frank’s emergency contact. Concerned about his boyfriend, Kathy known as him numerous events sooner than dropping at his residence to hunt out the 40-year-old’s physique lying facedown on the lounge floor.
When officers arrived on the scene, they’ve been shocked by the brutality of the homicide. Frank had been shot throughout the head with a sawed-off shotgun and observed numerous puncture wounds in his once more. The investigators moreover found a bloody brick by the aspect of his head, indicating the perpetrator used it to smash Frank’s head. The overkill of the murder urged the perpetrator had carried out a non-public vendetta in the direction of the sufferer. The police moreover discovered his residence had not been broken into, suggesting the killer was any person who knew Frank’s habits of holding the backdoor unlocked.
Who Killed Frank Parker?
The investigators questioned the grieving girlfriend, Kathy, to be taught she considered Frank’s former partner, Kim, the prime suspect throughout the murder. She outlined to the officers how Kim was a manipulative and jealous girl with an overcontrolling nature. According to the current, Kim had a tragic earlier involving a broken family, a consuming draw back, and drug abuse. She, then 16, had a toddler with a former confederate there nonetheless decided to go away him collectively along with his father’s family since Kim was constructive she wouldn’t be able to rear a baby on their very own.
Kim was 19 when she acquired right here to Florida, looking out for a current start, and met Frank throughout the AA meeting. They started courting and shortly acquired married, though they’ve been an unlikely pair. Soon, Kim’s controlling nature and dominating angle started to get in one of the simplest ways of their marriage. While their relationship was rocky, Frank’s devotion to his kids knew no bounds, and all his co-workers and associates knew it. The couple decided to maneuver to Valparaiso, Indiana, after Frank acquired a decent-paying job provide and for Kim to bond collectively together with her first toddler.
Hoping a transparent slate would help their marriage, Frank and Kim shifted to their new residence, and each half seemed to be working initially. However, the couple opted for a divorce inside years as a result of the earlier factors began to creep in as soon as extra into their relationship. With them separating their strategies, Kim acquired full custody of the children, with Frank being granted frequent visitations. But the doting father was not ready to simply settle for such an affiliation and had frequent arguments with Kim, alleging she intentionally launched the youngsters late to him.
After just some heated episodes collectively along with his former partner and her erstwhile boyfriend, Dean Batalis, Frank started to maneuver on collectively along with his life. He met a nurse, Kathy Witmer, and hit off almost immediately. According to the current, Kim acquired jealous of Frank courting one different girl and started poking her nostril into their life. Kathy alleged Kim was the reason behind her dropping her job and putting her toddler’s visitation rights under duress. Frank repeatedly requested Kim to keep away from his life, nonetheless she even filed a false criticism about him molesting and abusing their kids.
When the courtroom docket found in regards to the false accusations, the resolve revoked her custodial rights and awarded Frank full custody of their kids. Kathy misplaced her kids and the substantial toddler help money paid by Frank. Hence, she had a strong motive as a result of the investigators probed Frank’s dying, nonetheless she had an airtight alibi since she was with the children via the murder. The officers interviewed completely different suspects, along with Kathy’s former husband and Dean Batalis.
However, their alibis checked out, and the detectives ran out of leads inside a couple of days of the murder. But they acquired a breakthrough when Donna, one in all many women of Kim’s help group, walked into the police station with a tip. She alleged she had heard Kim plotting collectively together with her boyfriend, Findley Paul Thompson, about murdering the latter’s ex-husband just some days sooner than the homicide. Donna thought it’s maybe all focus on nonetheless was shocked when she heard about Frank’s slaying.
Where Are Kimberly Baldwin and Findley Paul Thompson Now?
When the investigators launched Paul, from Portage, in for questioning, he almost immediately confessed to the murder. He claimed Kim knowledgeable him Frank used to the contact their kids and paid him $10,000 to shoot him. She had given him the sawed-off shotgun and knowledgeable him in regards to the unlocked backdoor. Paul lay in await Frank to return from the children’s residence and shot him throughout the head. When he didn’t die, Paul took a screwdriver from Frank’s case and stabbed him sooner than smashing his head with a brick.
Kim was convicted in December 2004 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and aiding in murder and was sentenced to 115 years in jail. Paul was moreover charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to 85 years. Kim appealed in the direction of her conviction, and a Porter County resolve re-sentenced her to 85 years in February 2008 after discarding her genuine sentence. According to official courtroom docket knowledge, Paul died in jail, whereas Kim, in her late 50s, is serving her sentence on the Rockville Correctional Facility. Her earliest launch date is in August 2040.
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