ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. – Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Sandy Parsons, the adoptive father of Erica Parsons, according to the District Attorney.
Earlier this month, Parsons was formally charged with Erica’s murder in Rowan County. His wife, Casey Parsons, was also charged with Erica’s death in March.
Erica Parsons was first reported missing by her brother James in July of 2013, but investigators now believe she had been dead since November of 2011. Sandy and Casey Parsons always denied hurting the girl or having any knowledge of her whereabouts. The couple told investigators she went to live with relatives in Asheville, but that claim was later found to be false.
Sandy Parsons admitted to investigators in September 2016 that he buried her remains in a shallow grave in Pageland, South Carolina. He later led authorities to the grave, where Erica Parsons’ remains were recovered.
Carolyn Parsons, Erica’s birth mother, said she no longer favored the death penalty for the girl’s adoptive parents, saying it would be “too easy” for them.
“I think they should be in the population and I think they should let the population take care of them,” she said.