A 30-year-old Weedsport woman faces one to three years in state prison for her role in a fiery crash that killed her three children.
Lisa Parker entered an Alford plea Thursday to three counts of second-degree manslaughter and 13 lesser charges related to the June 2007 crash that followed a police chase in Jefferson County in Three Mile Bay near Lake Ontario. In entering the plea, she did not admit guilt, but acknowledged that there was enough evidence to convict her.
Defense attorney Peter Juliano had argued that Parker suffered from bipolar disorder and had a panic attack that caused her to flee when police stopped her.
Parker was headed on a camping trip with three of her children when deputies pulled her over. She then sped off and soon hit a utility pole, killing Mary Provo, 2; Nathaniel Parker, 6; and Tyler Parker, 10.
Lisa Parker suffered serious internal injuries and was hospitalized for several weeks.
Mary's father, John Provo, said Thursday that the reason Lisa did not plead guilty to any crimes is because there's no evidence that she intentionally tried to outrun the police. He said that Lisa only remembers bits and pieces of what happened. She doesn't remember being pulled over, he said, just being chased.
Provo said that “something went horribly wrong” the night of the crash but that it had just as much - if not more - to do with the actions of the police officer than Lisa.
“There's no evidence that she ever stopped,” he said. “There's no dashboard cam to corroborate his (the deputy's) version of what happened. I don't believe any of it.”
Provo said that he and Lisa live every day with the pain that the children's death have left.
“That's the only thing that's for sure,” he said. “School is out; people are going on vacation with their children; mine are in the cemetery. (The officer) shouldn't have chased her,” he said. “It's ridiculous.”
Parker's sentencing was set for Sept. 8.
Defense attorney Peter Juliano had argued that Parker suffered from bipolar disorder and had a panic attack that caused her to flee when police stopped her.
Parker was headed on a camping trip with three of her children when deputies pulled her over. She then sped off and soon hit a utility pole, killing Mary Provo, 2; Nathaniel Parker, 6; and Tyler Parker, 10.
Lisa Parker suffered serious internal injuries and was hospitalized for several weeks.
Mary's father, John Provo, said Thursday that the reason Lisa did not plead guilty to any crimes is because there's no evidence that she intentionally tried to outrun the police. He said that Lisa only remembers bits and pieces of what happened. She doesn't remember being pulled over, he said, just being chased.
Provo said that “something went horribly wrong” the night of the crash but that it had just as much - if not more - to do with the actions of the police officer than Lisa.
“There's no evidence that she ever stopped,” he said. “There's no dashboard cam to corroborate his (the deputy's) version of what happened. I don't believe any of it.”
Provo said that he and Lisa live every day with the pain that the children's death have left.
“That's the only thing that's for sure,” he said. “School is out; people are going on vacation with their children; mine are in the cemetery. (The officer) shouldn't have chased her,” he said. “It's ridiculous.”
Parker's sentencing was set for Sept. 8.
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 8 comment(s)
blueyankee443 wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:20 PM:
have been handled differently.It was ev
ident she was a woman with three childr
en,so why not wait until she stopped at
at a rest stop,or other place.How many
police scare innocent drivers who make
a small mistake,when driving at all.It
s too bad the police are ready to pounc
e on you,immedaiately,or even tailgate
your vehicle,before putting the light on.Who says that every police man,does not have a individual motive,to pull a
woman over,and harass her,without justi
ce being served.We are taught that we do not have to stop,but drive to the ne
arest police station,if we do not take
the chance the man is not a real police
man.Women do get scared at night same as men,when being pulled over,just bec
ause a man has a light,and the car,does
not make him an honest cop. I was harra
ssed for years with the Cayuga County
Sheriffs patrols,by a few deputies who
did not like me,when I was younger.They
always warned me,they would catch me ev
ery time they could for anything,and ke
pt their word.Even a few troopers were
into the gig,of pulling me over.Dont say it doesnt happen,as it does.What was this cops motives,to chase the car? "
Farmer's Gal wrote on Jul 4, 2008 3:17 PM:
In this case, the mother may well also carry the pain of having killed her own children through her own actions the rest of her life. By all means, give her the three years, but if she has a conscience, she will bear her own punishment (knowledge of guilt) the rest of her days.
What's most disturbing is that people who rape and torture children whom they then leave alive, emotionally scarred, to suffer the horror of that event the rest of their lives often don't even get this much time behind bars. I don't dispute that this sentence was warranted, but rather that there are worse criminals getting less punishment.
Look at that sicko in Vermont, let loose to re-offend in an ever increasingly horrible way. "
me wrote on Jul 4, 2008 12:01 PM:
tome8689 wrote on Jul 4, 2008 11:27 AM:
dcg wrote on Jul 4, 2008 11:12 AM:
mark wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:57 AM:
forrest wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:33 AM:
thunder1 wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:09 AM: