The Secret | Full Episode | Forensic Files

Life still goes at a small pace here in in Lof Fett, Walker [music] County. You can be to work in just a few
minutes, be home in a few minutes. [music] We're located uh right in the heart of the Bible belt. And in the end,
David said, "I have sinned." [cheering] >> Being able to go on Friday night, you
know, to watch your children play football or watch your daughter cheerlead as I did. That's what small
towns are all about. >> She was the middle sister and I was the youngest. Teresa loved everybody. She
loved family. That was the most important thing to her. You think of the best sister you could have, and she was
definitely. [music] >> She's one of our own. >> Is he her? >> She's 911 dispatcher.
She's that person on the other end of the radio. When you're in need, she's there.
When I hugged her that night, I just got this feeling of I was never going to see
her again. >> Hey, this is Teresa. >> Saturday, I just kept trying to call her. >> Hey, it's just me. I was just checking
on you. >> I called her just over and over and over. >> Call me. I was kind of worried about
you. >> I was so panicked. She is nowhere to be found. And you don't want to think the worse,
but I mean, you do. >> This case is about a 911 dispatcher and a city police officer. A married couple
and one had turned up missing. >> It's like a [music] horrible dream I can't wake up from. I miss her a lot.
People [music] came out in hundreds to to search for her. We covered about 175 square miles
[music] of land mass. So, the community as a whole was very concerned about Teresa Parker missing.
>> I am hopeful they'll find her. I hope they find her in good health. Every morning when I open my eyes, I
think about her. You know, at night when I lay my head down to go to sleep, I think about her. You know, Teresa, where
could you be? I don't believe that she would have just vanished off the face of the earth.
>> We knew that this was not the typical missing person case in Walker [music] County. This was going to be bigger than
Walker County when it was all said and done. The secret. Tonight's 48 hours mystery.
>> [music] >> It was the first day of spring, March 21st, 2007. A time of new beginnings for
Teresa Parker, according to her sister, Christina Hall. [music] >> She was at my house Wednesday night for
about an hour and we talked and she wanted me to go to her new place. >> The 911 dispatcher and [music] her
police officer husband Sam Parker after 13 years of marriage were divorcing. >> The marriage was playing itself out, but
it wasn't in a in a bad way. Teresa was getting ready to move into her own apartment near her sister and
nephews. >> She was just so excited to be closer and be able to help us out with them and
spend more time with them. [music] >> But when the sisters said their goodbyes that Wednesday night, Christina [music]
says something was different. >> When I hugged her that night, I just got this the emptiest feeling and it was
really strange. The sisters didn't talk at all the next [music] day, Thursday, and Christina figured Teresa was just
busy cleaning her new place. But by Friday morning, March 23rd, that empty feeling in her gut was back.
>> I just woke up and felt like I had this black cloud over me. And I'm not usually
like that. And I thought, I'm going to talk to Teresa. She always made me feel better.
Teresa didn't answer her phone. Christina went to work still hoping she'd hear from her sister at any
[music] moment. >> But every time the phone would ring, I'd check the ID to see if it was her.
>> Could it be Teresa? >> Yeah. I thought, well, she'll be calling anytime since I'd left her a message cuz
it was odd that she didn't call me right back. >> Walker 911. >> Meanwhile, Teresa's friend and coworker
Rhonda Knox was also getting worried after a strange early morning call on Thursday, March 22nd. And at 6:00 in the
morning, my phone rings and it's from Teresa and I answer it and [music] there's just a few seconds there and
then hang up. >> Rhonda knew it was odd for Teresa to call and hang up. >> I thought this isn't Teresa, you know.
So, I called it back. It rang and then went to voicemail and then I started calling the house. I started getting
worried. To ease her mind, she called police officer and friend Shane Green and asked
him as a favor to check out the home Teresa still shared with her soon to [music] be ex police officer Sam Parker.
>> So when Shane went to the house, did he call you? What did he say? >> He was saying, "Okay, we've beat on the
door." And I told him, I said, "Look in the garage. She parks in the garage every
time." And he shined in there. And he told me, he said, "Her car is not here. It's around 6:30 a.m. Teresa's Toyota
4Erunner was nowhere to be found, but her husband Sam Parker's patrol car was in the garage and his pickup [music]
truck was parked outside the house in plain sight. Strangely, Thursday afternoon, Teresa's
SUV was back at the house, but still no one had seen her, and she wasn't answering her cell phone. Teresa, I'm
really worried about you. I'm going to call the house. I love you. Bye. >> Teresa, this is Roger. She'll give me a
call. >> Call me whenever you do. C. Please call me if you get this. Please. I love you.
Bye. >> Everyone was calling her, including husband Sam Parker. >> This is Sam. It's Friday night about
3:00. Just worrying about you where you are. More than 24 hours had come and gone
with no word from Teresa. Her sister Christina was frantic. >> There were just no ifs, ands, or buts
about it. I knew something so horrible and I was just I was scared to death. >> Then on that Friday evening, March 23rd,
Christina got a call from her brother-in-law, Sam Parker. He was on patrol working the night shift. I could
immediately tell with him something wasn't right cuz he was talking really fast and he kept clearing his throat and
that was just out of character and I was like, "Well, we need to do something. We
need to file a missing person's report. You know, this is not Teresa." [music] Christina says Parker told her he'd gone
fishing with a buddy that Thursday morning and that when he left the house, Teresa's SUV was in the garage.
But if Christina was [music] panicked, Sam Parker seemed anything but. >> He said, "Well, I'm at work right now,
but um now when I get off work in the morning, uh I'll see what I can do." >> And who ended up filing the missing
person? >> My mom did. The next morning, Saturday morning, March 24th, 2007, [music]
day three, Teresa's family calls the police. >> Sheriff Wilson. >> Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson. Our
detective was assigned uh the missing person case. He he told me he said, "Sheriff uh said something's just not
right here." >> Wilson knew this case was just too personal for him to investigate.
He not only knew Teresa from 911, he'd gone to the police [music] academy with Sam Parker. So, he called in the GBI,
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He uh called [music] me about 5:00 on a Saturday and stated he had a missing 911
dispatcher who was married to a Lefaya police officer [music] and he asked for GBI assistance.
>> Special Agent James Harris headed straight for Teresa's new apartment, looking for any clues.
>> We found a few odds and ends, some clothes, some shoes, her 911 uniform. Uh we found where uh Lowe's had stopped in
to deliver a washer and dryer that she had previously purchased [music] and she wasn't there. So they left one of the uh
flyers on the doororknob. >> We all need to pray for her safe return and pray that our greatest fears do not
become reality and no harm has come to her yet. >> With no sign of Teresa, neighbors and
friends join together. Agent James Harris was eager to talk with Sam Parker. And on Sunday, March
25th, 4 days after Teresa went missing, Sam Parker, the police officer, wasn't the one asking the questions. What did
Sam tell you in that interview? >> I knew that we had to lock him in on a timeline. One of the things that jumped
out at me immediately was that he said he was in his truck the whole night. >> But three people had already told agent
Harris a different story. They saw Parker's truck parked at Sam and Teresa's house [music] early that
Thursday morning. And Sam is telling you he was driving around on his truck. >> That's correct. So then that's when red
flags started going up and Sam became a suspect in my eyes. I couldn't understand why he'd lie about
something that small. At least I thought was that small at the time. >> I've not got anything to hide. I've not
got anything to lie about. >> Sam Parker believed Teresa had gone off on her own because they were divorcing.
So he couldn't understand why investigators were looking at him. >> It must have been strange as
>> very strange >> as a police officer to >> to be in uniform. Yeah. And be in [music] being looked at. Yeah.
>> Law enforcement was facing a real mystery. What happened? [music] And why couldn't anyone find the police
officer's wife? We were brothers. We were the Norman Rockwell vision of brothers [music]
growing up next to a river. We grew up uh very close. Very close. >> Kenneth Parker looked up to his big
brother Sam and followed in his footsteps. >> He went in the Marine Corps. [music] I
went in the Marine Corps. He went in the police department, law enforcement. I went into law enforcement.
>> How much of Sam's life was being a cop? >> For him is everything. He was a cop 24
hours a day. >> And he says his proud police officer brother was quickly smitten with a young
911 operator. He started talking about this new dispatcher who's very attractive and started talking about,
you know, he [music] would like to try to take her out. One thing led to another and he started dating her and it
took off from there. >> Do you remember on the job first impressions of her? >> She was thin.
>> She was [laughter] thin. >> Yeah. >> Was she super skinny >> for around here? Yeah. [laughter]
You'd instantly fall in love with her just about when you get to talk to her because she was that way. She just made
you feel comfortable. [music] >> Her nickname was Mother Teresa. And according to younger sister Christina,
she [music] was the glue that held their family together. >> You know, she was the type of [music]
person if you needed her, you called her. She was there. >> Teresa's [music] first marriage had
ended in divorce, and Sam Parker already had two ex-wives. couple little love birds.
>> Despite their past failed relationships, Sam and Teresa seemed like a good match.
>> When I first met him, I liked him. He had a good, funny sense of humor and seemed to be a gentleman to her.
>> Did you think, "Oh, maybe this is the one for her." >> I thought he probably is. You know, he's
going to be the one cuz she was just crazy about him. Teresa and Sam Parker married on
September 11th, 1993. They seemed happy at [music] first, but then after a few years, their relationship turned rocky.
>> They were fighting one moment, in love with each other the next. It was a seessaw, [music] and evidently they
liked it that way. >> But it seems Teresa finally had enough [music] and decided to pull the plug
after 13 years of marriage. >> She's a missing person and I don't know where she is.
Part of the problem investigators have in searching for Terresa Parker is the terrain. Just look at this. This is the
woods right across from the Parker home. And this goes on for miles and miles in
every direction. This is mountain country. It's thick with trees. There's brush all over the ground. It's the
perfect place to hide something. And chances are no one will ever find it. >> There's hundreds and hundreds of old
whales in this area. And Mr. Parker grew up here. >> FBI [music] special agent Mark Vzy.
>> His childhood was spent hunting in [music] these woods. His adulthood is spent fishing in the ponds all around
this area. He knows this like the back of his hand. >> And investigators discovered that Sam
told people, perhaps jokingly, he could use that knowledge to do some pretty awful things. He told everybody in
Walker County, but a couple, that he knew how to get rid of a body no one would ever find it. He'd talk about
putting them in ponds and the turtles would eat them. >> Law enforcement and volunteers searched
fingertip to fingertip through the woods. They drained and searched ponds and combed through the local landfill.
Authorities even searched Parker's home five times. [music] They confiscated a collection of old guns and rifles, but
investigators didn't believe they were connected to Teresa's disappearance. I told him, I said, "Y'all went You
didn't even search your closet. You didn't look through her personal stuff. You went in and you looked for
things and took things of mine and only looked at me." You brought dogs out here?
>> Yes. We provided them a scent that we collected of Mr. Parker's clothes and also off of his patrol car. And they ran
as they alerted to his scent all up this hill and all back down this way in indicating to us that he had been here.
>> They're drawing conclusions that, you know, she may have been harmed and she may possibly be dead.
Uh me personally, I'm not going to let that enter my mind until I have to. If in fact it did, [music] if something has
happened, >> there were other people we looked at, but we went where the evidence led us
and it kept funneling us to Sam Parker. >> Mr. Parker is, in my [music] opinion,
very cold and calculating, very meticulous in his actions. He was [music] very meticulous in the way he was a
police officer. His uniform was always perfect. His car was always perfect. >> But investigators were finding Sam
Parker's story was [music] less than perfect. >> Mr. Parker advised us that the last time
that he saw or talked to Teresa was approximately 7:30 on Wednesday, March 21st, when she was loading up her
vehicle and and taking things to her new apartment. But according to the phone records, Sam
Parker had called Teresa several times in the early morning hours. On that Thursday, she disappeared.
>> And in fact, there were two telephone calls. Uh we believe that Mr. Parker was
trying to get in touch with her. Um he denied making any additional uh telephone conversations.
>> Now, that's bizarre behavior for a seasoned police officer who would know you'd pull the phone records. I don't
know if he forgot about them or if he was trying to cover that fact up. I'm not sure.
>> Then the crime scene specialist examined Teresa's Toyota 4Erunner. >> He turned around to me and said, "Uh,
we've got blood back here." But I knew it was on then. >> And there was more. >> The back of the 4Erunner had been
obviously vacuumed. You could see the vacuum marks. >> So, what'd that say to you?
>> Well, someone cleaned it. >> I knew we were looking the right way. >> Looking the right way meaning what?
meaning Sam Parker. >> You know, they were ready to lynch me in this town. And that that's just beyond me.
>> The crime lab tests confirmed [music] Teresa's blood and Parker's DNA were in
the back of her SUV. Investigators [music] now had what they needed to make an arrest.
>> We placed him in handcuffs [snorts] and uh the only thing he said was he asked
me if I'd turn his coffee pot off for him. So, I did. >> Nearly one year after 911 dispatcher
Teresa [music] Parker disappeared, her police officer husband Sam Parker was charged with his
wife's murder. >> Did you kill Teresa Parker? >> No, I did not. >> What do you think happened to her?
>> I do not know. >> Nobody knows that she was killed. [music] There's no physical. There's no
forensic evidence. There's nothing to show that she was killed. Defense attorney David Dunn has a whole other
theory to explain Terresa Parker's disappearance. Did Teresa have a boyfriend? >> I believe she did.
The week before [music] 41-year-old Teresa Parker disappeared, she took a trip to the Smoky Mountains.
>> She called me her first morning there and was like, "I'm having coffee outside. It's just beautiful."
>> 3 days in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was supposed to be a quick getaway before
her move and the divorce. Teresa made a reservation at her favorite cabin, the Honeybee Hideaway.
You know, she told me, she said, "I want to be by myself and think about things,
clear my mind." She'd been so stressed >> and she was alone. >> And she was alone. Yes.
>> 51-year-old Sam Parker knew his wife was going to Gatlinburg. He had even given
her money for shopping. >> [music] >> But there was something about her trip that troubled him. So he decided to do a
little investigating on his own. [music] >> He was, you know, a husband just like
any other husband, trying to find out who went off for a couple of days with his wife.
>> Parker called the lodge and convinced the clerk to send him Teresa's registration. Defense attorney David
Dunn. >> She registered for a room using the [music] name Barker. Whether someone
actually went [music] with her or visited her there while she was there, we don't know that.
>> Prosecutor Lee Patterson. [clears throat] >> He was very angry about the Gatlinburgg
trip because he was convinced that she had cheated on him. >> Parker's suspicions about Teresa and
another man grew when he found something else puzzling on her room reservation. >> She listed two adults. We know from the
statement that Shane Green made that he was at least invited to accompany her. We know that much.
>> Remember Shane Green was the police officer who discovered Teresa's SUV missing the morning the prosecution
believes she was murdered. >> You don't think that this could have just been a work relationship?
>> No, I don't. Not between those two. >> The defense says that there were two people staying at that lodge that Teresa
had somebody with her. >> No. >> No, there were not. Our information is there was nobody there to see her. And
if the defense wants to say that Shane Green was there with her, the phone cell phone towers show that his cell phone
activity was not in Gatlinburg. >> Green says he was not in Gatlinburgg and was never romantically involved with
Teresa. >> So all of this jealousy that Sam seems to have is unfounded. >> In my opinion, yes. He was a very
controlling, manipulative person. And I think that Teresa was tired of being controlled and manipulated.
>> According to prosecutors, Teresa Parker [music] did have one big secret. The 911
dispatcher who had helped so many people in crisis was dealing with a very personal crisis of her own. An angry
[music] and abusive husband. >> I think she hid it very well. I think she hid it from everybody.
>> Did Sam have a drinking problem? >> No, he could drink real well. Yes, he could. He could drink. Yes, he
he he drank way too much. >> What was he like when he drank? >> Funny. >> Funny.
>> Happy drunk. [music] >> Teresa's sister, Christina, says there was nothing funny about her
brother-in-law when he had too much alcohol. >> He became a violent, mean drunk.
He would keep a water bottle in the refrigerator during family dinners [music] or whatever, and he would sneak
over there and drink out of this bottle, and it was straight vodka. like I had seen him in action, you know, so scary.
>> There have been allegations that you've had some issues with uh drinking, >> you know, something that got blown up
way out of proportion. >> So, you did drink, but it didn't affect your job. Is that fair to say?
>> That's very fair to say. Yes. >> Christina says Sam Parker's behavior could change from nice to nasty in an
instant. They had went out to eat for dinner one night and of course he started out
drinking. >> Christina says when her sister left the restaurant, Parker followed [music] her.
>> They got into the car and he started threatening her, took his gun out, was shooting his gun
up in the air in the parking lot. Teresa called 911, but when the police arrived, they didn't arrest Parker.
Instead, they took him to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. After an incident like that, why didn't
Teresa walk away? >> You know, uh, she just didn't want to give up. And, you know, and she she
loved him. She was in love with him. >> It's a story Kila Beard says she knows all too well because she lived it. She
was Parker's second wife and was married to him for four years. One time he was drinking a glass of water and he threw
the glass on the floor and it [music] broke and he actually took me by the hair and drug me through the living room into
the bedroom and he drugged my feet. I was barefooted. He drug my feet through that
broken glass and they were bleeding and pulled out his handcuffs all up off of his belt and handcuffed me to the bed
post. He eventually let her go [music] because he had to go back to work. But Kela says when Parker abused her again a
few months later, he gave her a [music] warning. >> He told me uh before he left that I
better not tell anybody or call anybody because if I did, he would he would kill
me. He said, "You can believe me that I know how to do it without getting caught
and they won't ever find your body." >> He said that to you. >> He said that to me. Still, neither Kila
nor Teresa ever filed a police report about Parker's alleged abuse. His brother Kenneth doubts it was ever that
bad. >> Did Sam ever hit her? >> Not that I know of. >> Do you think he was physically abusive
to Teresa in any way? >> No. No, not physically. Mentally, both ways. Because they like to play mind
games, honestly. Believe. And he had always said that she knew exactly what button to push if she wanted to fight.
Kenneth says his big brother is simply misunderstood and not a murderer. In fact, he's convinced his sister-in-law,
Teresa, is still alive. Where'd she go? >> I have my own theory. I believe that she's either in Mexico or California.
>> I think I know where she is. I mean, I really do. Uh >> Sam Parker revealed his theory to
special agent James Harris. His exact words to me were, "She's in Mexico with a guy named Elvis."
>> Elvis. >> Yes. >> It turns out Teresa had vacationed in Mexico with her nieces, and on that
trip, they met a resort entertainer named Elvis. Investigators followed up on Parker's hunch and traveled to sunny
Cancun. >> Is it possible that you missed Elvis and Teresa in Mexico? >> No. >> You're trying not to laugh. I've tried
very hard not to laugh. >> If she's somewhere and she wants to be there and she's happy, then fine. You know, I
don't care. >> Is [music] it possible that she could still be walking around alive? That she
just wanted to get away? >> No. [music] It just doesn't make sense and it's not a reasonable theory. Sam
Parker murdered her and disposed of her body. [music] And obviously it doesn't bother him that her family still cries
for her [music] every day. >> Everyone is obsessed with it. They blog about it. They all have their own
theories. At Suz's Sunset Cafe, the breakfast crowd is buzzing about the Sam Parker
trial, and everyone has an opinion. >> I don't know where she's at, but she's not dead.
>> You don't think she's dead? >> I don't think she's dead. >> So, you think she's still alive?
>> I do. >> With no body, no crime scene, and no murder weapon, prosecutor Lee Patterson
has an uphill battle. >> You wish that [music] you had everything, but that's not how a case
works. And we felt like even though we didn't have a lot of forensics that we had a lot of other stuff that was really
good. >> Defense attorney David Dunn. >> How unique is this in that there's no body.
>> It's very rare in the history of the state of Georgia. There's been about four of those over 200 years.
>> The prosecution admits they don't know exactly how Teresa died, but they're convinced the circumstantial [music]
evidence against Parker proves he's a murderer. He had threatened people in the past and said, "If you don't do such
and such, or if you keep bothering me, I will uh kill you and bury you where nobody will ever find you."
>> What we're going to see at trial is we're going to see a trial by character assassination.
>> Teresa's niece, Ashton Gilbert. >> Anytime she would turn her back, he would flip her off and cuss her behind
her back. >> Parker's second wife, Kila Beard. He told me he would kill me and that he
knew how to do it without getting caught when they never would ever find my body.
>> The prosecution lays out its theory. Teresa left her new apartment shortly [music] after midnight, driving to the
home she shared with Parker. She didn't think he'd be there, but he was waiting for her. Sometime between 12:30 and 1:30
a.m. on March 22nd, 2007, he killed her. After he [music] killed her, he put her
body in the back of the SUV and then he went to Christy Bellflower's house. >> Incredibly, prosecutors say Sam Parker
was heading out on a date. >> Can you state your name for the record, please? Ma'am,
>> Christy Bellflower. >> And Miss Bellflower. When the defendant got there, did he have anything with him
to drink? >> Yes. >> What did he have with him? >> Vodka. >> All right. Well, tell me, what kind of
container did he have it in? a water bottle. >> Okay. So, an hour to kill her and then
you say he left her body in her SUV. >> That's right. >> At their home and went on a date. He had
to have an alibi and Christy Bellflower had expected him to come over there. How's he going to explain? Well, I had a
date, but I broke it. >> After the date with Christy Bellflower early Thursday morning, prosecutors
believe Parker drove home. Then sometime between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m., he drove off
in Teresa's SUV with her dead body inside and dumped her. >> That's our theory of the case because
that fits with the timeline. He goes back because he has to dispose of her body. He can't leave her lying in the
carport. Defense attorneys Doug Woodruff and David Dunn said that scenario is ludicrous.
>> Murder is a messy business. It's virtually impossible to do this kind of thing and leave no traces, no
indications, no evidence. >> What do you make of the blood that was found on the rear bumper of Teresa's
car? >> They had no idea how old the DNA was. They simply could not say whether it was
a paper cut or an accidental injury or anything else. >> But then prosecutors would call their
most controversial witness. Would you please raise your right hand? >> Police officer Ben Chaffen.
>> Were you and Sam friends? >> Yes, ma'am. I considered him my big brother. >> Had you ever seen Sam and Teresa have a
fight? >> Yes, ma'am. I have. >> Chaffen would tell the jury the most explosive evidence of the trial. A phone
call from Sam Parker the night Teresa disappeared. >> He said, uh, he'd really done it this
time or he's really going to do it this time. >> What else did he say? He said that he had a place that was
going to be hard to find or they never would find it. >> What else? >> And that u he had shot Teresa through
the head. >> Chaffen told the jury after that confession, he hung up the phone, but a
few minutes later, Parker called him back. >> He said, "If I told anybody, you'd have
to kill me, too." >> Devastating testimony. Maybe not. It turns out Ben Chaffen had given
investigators five different stories and he'd been arrested for helping Parker hack into Teresa's computer. The
prosecution gave him immunity [music] in exchange for testifying. >> In your very first conversation with the
GBI about Terresa Parker being missing, you didn't tell them about this so-called murder confession you heard
simply because it you forgot about it. >> I forgot about it. If somebody calls you and says, "I
killed my wife." That's something you remember. How could you forget that? >> That was my initial reaction when I
first started reading his statements. But when we talked to him, it became very clear to us that he was very, very
close to Sam Parker. The person that he looked at as a father, as a brother, had
done something so terrible [music] he couldn't wrap his mind around it. >> Step back.
>> Is Ben Chaffin a a good witness? A believable witness? Oh, he's probably the most unbelievable witness I've seen
in 26 years of practicing law. >> Can you give me a sense of what's been going through your head?
>> You know, just the people that's been in my life for 25, 30 years, you know, they recall
things one way and I recall them a little bit differently. >> Have you been looking at the jury at
all, wondering? >> I'm not wondering. I'm going to accept what they say and that's that's what I'm
going to do. >> And Sam Parker may have the jury [music] on his side. >> How many of you thought Ben Chaffen was
believable? >> He wasn't. >> Nobody thought he was. >> None of us, even the slight [music] bit,
thought he was credible at all. We all felt like he was lying. >> Not only did they dismiss Chaffen's
testimony, they had problems with other evidence, too. >> How strong was that blood evidence? To
me, the blood was another circumstantial thing. It wasn't hard evidence for me. >> Most of the evidence was all
circumstantial. It was more so for us. We were putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
>> The jury would have to piece it all together, but it was beginning to look like the prosecution's [music] murder
case against Sam Parker wasn't adding up. >> [music] >> How Teresa may have died has always been
a mystery, but the prosecution believes these photos showing bruises on Parker's
right arm, are a significant [music] clue to what happened. FBI special agent Mark Vzy.
>> What we felt was that Mr. Parker, who is known to have used choke holds in the
past, had used this maneuver on Teresa and that she had fought back by putting her hands up and that's what left the
bruises on the inside of his arm. >> I think she fought for her life at the end and [music] those bruises are
evidence of that. But you would argue they didn't come from a struggle with Teresa.
>> Oh, no. They're inconsistent with that. Certainly, I didn't see them as a significant factor.
Your honor, at this time I'd like to ask the defendant >> Prosecutor Lee Patterson gives the
courtroom a dramatic demonstration. I was going to [clears throat] take my heels off so I won't power over you.
>> The rear naked chokeold. The move she believes Parker used to kill his wife Teresa.
>> What did you think when the prosecutor brought up the chokeold and actually asked to be put in a chokeold?
>> I think it was absolute fabrication. There was no evidence to base that upon.
>> There's one more piece of explosive evidence the jury would see before they deliberate. This poster with a crude
title discovered in Parker's police locker. [snorts] >> Should have thrown it in the garbage.
Probably should have done that, but instead just threw it in the locker and that's where it sat until it was pulled
out. So, we shouldn't read into it that he had some >> issue with women. >> No, it means nothing.
>> But it meant [music] something to prosecutor Lee Patterson. >> This is the guy who thought this was
funny. Ladies and gentlemen, Teresa Parker almost made it out. She almost made it
to her new life. Find him accountable. Find him guilty. Thank you. Prove your innoc.
>> Defense attorney David Dunn pleads with the jury to be mindful of reasonable doubt.
>> Listen to the charge, especially the charge on circumstantial evidence. Follow the law. Find Sam Parker not
guilty. >> It was like, >> these jurors say the task of deciding Sam Parker's fate was particularly
daunting because [music] they had an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence, but not much else. In the
beginning, it was very split. Two and >> 10. >> Two and 10. >> Two and 10. Two were guilty. And the 10
were undecided. >> Undecided. Wow. How tense did it get as you all wrestled with this?
>> Very tense. >> It got quite heated at times. >> How many of you watched Sam during the
trial? >> We all did. >> I mean, I tried to get eye contact with him as much as I possibly could.
>> Why? I just needed to just because of the feeling of this could be my uncle, this could be my brother, you know, I
had to do that. >> After 3 days of deliberation, the juror seemed hopelessly deadlocked.
>> But on count one, which is murder, still no verdict. >> There wasn't that smoking gun. We did
have to make a decision on someone else's life. I was very worried about sending an innocent man to jail or
releasing a guilty man to do the same thing again. >> The judge urged the jury to give it one
more try. And this time they would take an even closer look at the cell phone evidence.
>> It threw up that red flag of, "Hey, here I am." And looking at the cell phone
records, he was not where he was telling us he was. On September 3rd, 2009, 2 and a half
years after Terresa Parker disappeared, her family would finally have a verdict.
>> Madam Fore, I understand y'all arrived at verdicts. Is that correct? >> Yes, sir. Your honor,
>> in the Superior Court of Walker County, state of Georgia, state of Georgia versus Samuel L. Parker, we the jury
after due deliberation find the defendant count one guilty. >> Guilty of firstdegree murder. Parker
shows no emotion. >> The judge hands down the ex- cop's sentence on the spot. >> Life in prison.
>> Teresa's [music] family leaves the courthouse in tears. >> Can you just tell us how you're feeling?
He got just exactly what he deserved. >> It's a victory for the prosecution team.
>> Can you give us a comment on how you're feeling? >> Lighter. I got to talk to the thing.
>> And a defeat for the defense. >> I can't comment. Sorry, guys. This fight has not ended. It's barely just begun.
>> Does Sam still have a little bit of power? Sure. He's still He's still got some control because he hasn't told us
where she is. is still about manipulation and control. Still >> in your gut, do you think that you'll
ever find Teresa? >> I hope so. We're gonna keep trying. >> Sam Parker, the former police officer,
is now a convicted murderer and still willing [music] to talk to us. >> I never caused her any any, you know,
bad times or, you know, I never never once ever hurt her. >> You never hurt her?
>> No, never. >> Did you kill Terresa Parker? No, >> her family thinks that you did and
thinks that you could ease their agony by saying where she is. Can you help them at all?
>> No, I can't. Christina hangs on to memories of her older sister, grateful for the guilty
verdict, but painfully aware that the man destined to spend the rest of his life in prison may be the only one who
holds the key to finding Teresa. >> Christina, do you think you're ever going to find her?
>> Oh, I don't know. You want to find her? Bring her home. Lay her to rest. That's what she deserves. You know,
she's not a [snorts] piece of trash. And that's how I feel like he has treated her. Wherever she is out there, she just
doesn't deserve to be there. >> [music] [music] [music] [music]

When a 911 operator vanishes into thin air her deadly secret is exposed. Tracy Smith reports for "48 Hours Mystery" in this episode from August 2010. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Teresa Parker disappeared in 2007; her husband Sam was convicted of her murder after a contentious trial.

Key points

The Disappearance of Teresa Parker. A 911 dispatcher goes missing, leaving her family and community in turmoil.
A Sister's Intuition. Christina Hall feels an ominous cloud before her sister's disappearance.
Sam Parker's Alibi. Sam Parker claims he was driving around, but witnesses say otherwise.
Blood Evidence Found. Investigators discover blood and DNA in Teresa's SUV, leading to a major breakthrough.
The Arrest of Sam Parker. Nearly a year after Teresa's disappearance, her husband is charged with her murder.
The Transformation of Sam Parker. Parker's personality shifts dramatically when he drinks, turning from nice to violent.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I don't believe that she would have just vanished off the face of the earth.

A family member's disbelief about Teresa's disappearance.

2:53WatchDec 2, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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