The Tragic Murder of Corey Parker | The Christmas Killings hosted by Nancy Grace | Forensic Files

1998 Jacksonville Beach Florida a group of University students plan a friendsgiving when they cannot travel
home for Thanksgiving holiday she was involved in getting everybody together and inviting people she had spent the
day before Thanksgiving cooking several different pies not even seasoned veteran police
are prepared for the vicious nature of the crime that unfolded it looked just like somebody had placed her hand in a
pool of blood without many sta wounds you sometimes wonder you is this the portal of
hell it shocked the Mind initially police looked at several suspects in a desperate attempt to make their Beach
toown safe by Christmas he was infatuated with her almost obsessed she knew things about this crime scene
that none of us knew it didn't add up as police close in on a Thanksgiving killer
the fear only escalates the person who did this could do it again [Music] [Music]
hello I'm NY Grace Thanksgiving is wonderful it's a holiday that usually brings families together people travel
across the country across the world parents children and relatives celebrate with wonderful food great company and
happy times that become happy memories but sometimes lengthy travel gets in the way of children returning
home in 1998 25-year-old Corey Parker decides to stay put in Jacksonville Beach Florida where she's going to
school instead of being with her family Upstate New York she's scheduled to work
on Black Friday at at the rag Time Restaurant but she never shows up for her shift when she failed to show up her
manager became alarmed this was not her character she's somebody that could be relied upon and was very trusted to show
up for her to miss a shift was highly unlikely Cory was a good worker she would come for a shift she wouldn't miss
it any shifts Cory's manager asked one of the cooks at the restaurant to go and check on her the cook went to her
apartment and knocked on the door but could not get an answer through the front window the cook
can see Cory Parker's kitchen the thing that caught him as a little bit odd was her purse was sitting
there and he could tell there was a pie out on the counter it just didn't sit right with him the cook walks around to
the back of Cory's apartment and he can see into her [Music] bedroom and he could see her her foot
and he knew it was her because she had this tow ring that she always wore and he said there was just blood
everywhere First Responders arrive at Cory Parker's apartment inside her bedroom a shocking disturbing and tragic
scene the police discovered Cory's nude body lying on the bed and the blood was covering her in such a dramatic way that
it looked like it had almost been painted on her homicide detectives and a forensic
unit start processing the horrific crime scene Cory was stabbed multiple times and with
every second she was getting stabbed and she's fighting for her life the forensic investigators arrived
at the scene they discovered there's hairs in her hand when you find those things it just
makes it seem worse because you know that there is a struggle she did fight to her sail and hair was
in her clutch it was a bad brutal way to leave this world there was blood found at the scene by the kitchen window which
faces like the back of her apartment they discovered blood stains which looked just like somebody had
placed her hand in a pole blood and then placed it on the window which is indicative of somebody trying to get out
of the window they also took samples of a lot of different blood spattering at the scene
and one of the droplets that they collected was on the sink when you're stabbing somebody
multiple times there's a high probability of that person's going to become injured as well they're still
trying to stab somebody and their hand sliding off of the handle onto the bleed and they're cutting themselves then the
suspect's blood ends up near the sink and by the window it's a damning piece of of evidence especially if you can tie
suspect to [Music] it when there is a Savage knife attack like this one not only are victims
wounded and killed but very often so are perpetrators they are wounded as they wield the knife detectives are hoping
here that blood and hair samples will lead them to a DNA match of the animal who murdered Cory Parker meanwhile
police are canvasing the neighborhood where Cory lived the crime happened where Cory
Parker lived in Jacksonville Beach was a little small apartment building close to
the beach it was within walking distance she lived alone she was on a ground floor apartment and there was other like
buildings next to it so kind of close together within eyesight of each other the detectives learned that there had
been a Peeping Tom in the community was very disturbing Corey had even told some of
her friends that she felt like there was a Peeping Tom watching her being on the ground level this is
exactly what she should be afraid of the detectives had to consider that this peeping Tom could very well be the
as salent that killed Cory I was sitting in my mom's I got a call from David her
boyfriend and he was hysterical he could barely talk he was just balling I could hear him saying
something's wrong with Corey you need to find out what's going on so I happened to know a paramedic
that lived nearby so I called him and I asked him if he could tell me what's going on and he
said um she was dead it was so shocking I didn't register it at all I didn't believe them I remember
thinking she's fine I just talked to her the day before Thanksgiving a police officer called me and I went
straight to the police station I met with Detective rigan and she brought me into a room asked me
questions mostly about the last time I had seen Corey did I know what she planned on
doing for Thanksgiving I told detective rigan that she had planned on attending the orphan
party for Thanksgiving which is where where people get together that don't have family in the area she was um
baking pies and bringing them with her she very much enjoyed the cook and she was really good at it she was a Fabulous
Baker when I met Corey she had moved from Rochester New York to Jacksonville Beach to go to college and we clicked
instantly Corey was extremely intelligent she was fun she was very kind and respect ful to
everybody she was 5' 11 so obviously just being tall she stood out but she was also beautiful like a model she was
somebody that would really draw your attention when she walked in the room absolutely gorgeous and had a
personality to match she was beautiful physically and inside she definitely lit up a room when she
walked in Cory Parker seems so happy with her life she recently started dating someone new
although she and David didn't know each other for very long they were very passionate very quickly about each other
and they had so much fun together I remember her describing him to me I found this guy who was just
amazing and she said he's extra special really digging this guy the police really wanted talk to
Corey's boyfriend David when the police talk with David he is genuinely distraught by Cory's murder furthermore
he's able to provide them evidence that he was not even in the area at the time Cory died he had flown to see family for
the Thanksgiving [Music] holiday when autopsy results come back investigators learned that thankfully
Corey Parker was at least spared a sex assault still the way that Cory is killed the Savage stabbing much of it
after she dies are chilling Cory was stabbed 101 times autopsy revealed that 54 of those times
were postmortem that lends towards the whole viciousness of the crime this person had a lot of rage in them that
they're willing to stab somebody that much this person took their time it was gruesome it shocked the
Mind detectives convinced they're looking for a deeply depraved killer Black Friday is one of the
busiest retail days in the US that means restaurants are super busy also student
Corey Parker misses Thanksgiving with with her family to work a shift at Ragtime restaurant and now that family
will never have a chance for another Thanksgiving or Christmas with Corey the Jacksonville police conduct an extensive
investigation throughout the holidays they learn the last time Cory seen alive is the day before Thanksgiving that is
when she borrows a pie thermometer and complains about a Peeping time c as the New Year rolls around investigators
finally get a lead it's about a coworker who's fixated on Corey police turned their attention to
him there was a dishwasher that worked at the same restaurant as Corey he was 27 years old Eric was his
[Music] name he was infatuated with her one would say almost obsessed in the months before she died
Eric had been asking Corey out on a regular basis she continued to tell him no she was really nice about it she
didn't want to hurt his feelings coworker Eric is informally interviewed by detectives January 18 and
he willingly agrees to give a hair sample for a possible DNA match one week later Jacksonville PD invite him to the
station for a formal interview Jesus Eric she told you she had boyfriends she had plan she had
school she didn't want to be with you Eric you weren't her type she didn't want a relationship with you Eric and
you couldn't accept that detectives Badger Eric looking for any reaction kept asking her out Thanksgiving dinner
she didn't want to be with you ER she had plans but you didn't want to accept that did you no you didn't no but I was
willing to let it go you were pissed off at her you were pissed off because you wanted her and she did not want you you
wanted a life with Cory Eric you wanted a life with Cory she did not want you you were the one that was
pipped off with her Eric you cooworker Eric concedes he desperately wanted to spend Thanksgiving
with Corey Eric's obsession with Corey is really demonstrated by his actions on Thanksgiving he told the detectives he
made a meal for her and was planning to invite her he had invited her she never committed but he still made the
Thanksgiving dinner that uh seems weird she went to all that work and she didn't
even show up the interview gets even more intense as as the hours tick by she was about pissed off at me too
that's probably why she didn't you know why she was pissed at you Eric because you couldn't take no for an answer
that's why you could not take no for an answer how many times is a woman have to
tell you no Eric finally reveals how he really feels about Corey Parker you think you were obsessed with her that
was slightly obsessed but I would do greatly obsessed D Jesus did my God I was I was upsets tell me
the things that you think about doing with women even detectives are shocked by Eric's next response me like um Tak
him into a bedroom and raping him they kind of thrilling to get away with it maybe I
would share the same thoughts as this first that did I would like to fantasize myself doing it instead of him doing but
I didn't do one of the detectives asked him well if you would have killed Corey how
would you have done it what fantasies do you have how would you contain her how how how would this
person feel P her down she was tired um by will probably if he didn't want to be a
suspect he was doing a real good job selling himself as one and he just Pok her do whatever stab her put her thr
like wait for her the how get now follow whatever had detectives walk away from that
interview convinced they've got Cory's killer and they wait for the lab results obtained from blood and hair collected
at the murder scene the hair sample and the blood drop CIT sample that they found came from the same
person and that person was not Cory Parker many times in a homicide investigation Clues turn out to be too
good to be true in the case of Cory Parker's murder police now have the Killer's DNA too good to be true right
well what they don't have is the problem the DNA sample from the crime scene does
not match their Prime suspect Cory Parker's coworker Eric he would have been a perfect
suspect but he tested negative investigators now turn to one of the last people to see Cory Parker
alive a friend named Tiffany Tiffany and Cory was at a bar the night before Thanksgiving
together Cory went out to the rits just to go have drinks and meet some friends from work and Tiffany was
there they did meet up that night at the bar detectives focus on the friend Tiffany they've heard rumors she also
was obsessed with Corey Parker I remember a discussion with her about being by curious meaning interested in
girls and guys which I mentioned to the police officer so I think the that kind of built a little thing for them to
start looking at her detective zero in on Tiffany and they discover something alarming Tiffany seems to have knowledge
of the crime scene that was not public so it's very concerning that possibly she knew this because perhaps
she was the one who killed Corey police bring in Tiffany for an interview she tells them she and Cory Parker go to
the Ritz Bar the night before Thanksgiving and that Cory leaves the bar around 1
a.m. then Tiffany says she calls Corey in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving 2
a.m. if Tiffany had told the police officers that she called Corey around 2: in the morning Cory didn't answer the
phone however when the police looked back at the phone records there was no call made at 2:00 so I don't think her
story was adding up as the interview goes on Tiffany refuses to cooperate and give a DNA
sample to detectives they become even more suspicious is it possible that Tiffany
had a crush on Corey and was upset with her because Corey had no interest in Tiffany in a romantic
way a court order was obtained to get her DNA when the results come back unfortunately it does not match the
hair and blood found at the scene investigators also learned Tiffany's inside knowledge of the crime
scene comes from one of the First Responders once again detectives are back to square one in a case as gruesome
as Corey Parker's death she want to solve this case she want to bring Justice to your
victim you have to be her voice and it's difficult for now the DNA collected at the crime scene eliminates all the
viable Suspects the case haunts the Jacksonville police over the following year who killed Cory
[Music] Parker Jacksonville Beach Florida another Thanksgiving Christmas and New
Year's pass by for most people life goes on but for those people who knew Cory Parker her love of Life continues to be
remembered Jacksonville police have run out of leads in Cory's case but they haven't run out of
Hope with the case goes cold and evidence start drying up it affects the [Music]
investigators in a resort town like Jackson Ville Beach people come and go quite
frequently so your suspect could be gone and slows the case up dramatically it raised a whole set of
new questions then who on Earth could have possibly or would have done this for what
reason with the lack of further Clues to investigate Cory's family put up the funds for law en enforcement offer a
$220,000 reward for any evidence that could help solve this [Music] case when the reward was posted it did
generate several tips one of the tips LED them to a steakhouse that was near where Cory
Parker lived the tip was about a 17-year-old employee at that Steakhouse his name Robert Denny when Jacksonville
police do some digging they discover some very strange things about the teenager shortly after Cory Parker's
death he was acting very bizarre at work he was crying he was sulking he claimed
that his son had died in Texas and he needed to get back to that location but he didn't have the
money so employees of that Steakhouse donated money to get a flight back but when he left he never came
[Music] back Robert Denny doesn't have a son he only wants to get out of Jacksonville
Beach and guess where he's living during holiday season 1998 he lived in a second story
building next to Cy Parker from his vantage point in his apartment he could look into her Windows
of her [Music] apartment Robert had confided in several co-workers that he used to look through
from his window down into Cory Parker's window the fact that he left so sudden and
never returned indicated to me that he had something he was hiding he was running from
something the detectiv speak to Robert Denny's sister whom he was living with at the time of the
murder she describes Robert as being a very strange person she says that at one point in
time she woke up to find him above her beds just staring at her as she slept this was so upsetting to her that she
asked him to move out detectives learn Robert Denny has moved to e Maryland they contact local
police there for help I reviewed our CAD system which is our system that we control all our reports and complaints
the review turns up a hit for a domestic disturbance we had actually had an incident with him a couple weeks
prior he had moved him with a 50-year-old woman he had befriended this woman online in a poker chat room and uh the
domestic argument is sued between her her husband and him detective Miller uses that domestic incident as a pretext
for paying a visit to the residents so I one knocked on the door and the woman that he was living with she answered the
door I asked her if Robert was there when I did he came around the corner and introduced himself
[Music] they invited me in the house we sat and we talked gave them the basic hey it's
everything good now and has anyone been fighting since that day and any injuries the woman tells detective
Miller there's been no violence since her husband moved out she says her two children are still living in the
residence and and uh I left and came back and contacted Jacksonville Beach and said okay we got him he's here when
are you coming to get them Jacksonville police do not have enough PC probable cause for an arrest warrant they joined
forces with Eastern Maryland police to investigate Robert Demi and what they discover about his
family history is extremely alarming Robert Denny's older brother was actually serving a life
sentence for a murder that was eerily similar to that of Cory Parker Robert's brother had been just 15 years old when
he committed his crime he was a paper boy on a paper route she opened up the door turned to
give him a payment and he attacked her and that murder involves stabbing the victim
96 times Jacksonville Beach Florida 1998 while Cory Parker's happily baking pies
for Thanksgiving someone with a murder on his mind is watching the beautiful 25-year-old fast forward two years later
police believe a man named Robert Denny is involved detectives must match DNA found at the scene to Denny to do that
they need a DNA sample from Denny to compare to DNA from the murder scene the two detectives from down in
Jacksonville Beach that were assigned to Cold Case was a sergeant bill carile and
detective Katie Kingston Katie Billy myself Jim you know we get in the room and we're just
talking about you know what can we do to try to get the DNA from Robert Denny we came up with this ruse of the
serious assault in his neighborhood so we needed to exclude him as a suspect it was false it was a fake crime
the whole purpose was to get him into the office to talk to him and see if I can collect his DNA
[Music] so I reached out to Robert and told him hey look I'm investigating an assault
that took place around 3:00 a.m. and that the suspect kind of matched his description
and I was wondering if he could come in and talk to me Robert Denny voluntarily comes to the
east police station for an interview he sat down and I asked him a series of questions and the whole time with Robert
I was playing the bumbling idiot you know uh where's my pen what oh it's here so he felt very at ease with me to the
point where he I'm pretty sure he felt he was controlling this whole thing I started asking him questions
about this alleged crime he said I didn't have anything to do with it I was home I was in bed I I
wasn't out they asked him for a sample of his DNA under the guise that it has to do with this assault
case as soon as I said DNA he went from a position like this where he was very open he was jovial to he crossed his
legs he folded his arms and he literally pushed away from me so he said I'd rather not do that
detectives cannot get Robert Denny to volunteer to give a DNA sample their next step to get that sample without
Denny ever [Music] knowing I had bottles of water brought in he was given a bottle I had a bottle
they offered him some water and then he opened a water bottle but he never took a
drink detectives get more creative for their second attemp at obtaining Denny's DNA so I looked at Robert I said look I
said said I really need a cigarette do you smoke he says yeah and I lit a cigarette he lit a cigarette I smoked my
cigarette I put it out in the aster he smoked his cigarette put it out put the cigarette butt behind his
ear police try yet again so I typed out a little letter and the letter said that at this particular
point I refus to give a DNA sample however I reserved my right to give one after talking to my
lawyer so I typed it out he signed it he folded it up I asked him put it in an envelope and seal the envelope and he
stopped and he looked at me he says that's the third thing you want my lips to be
on the water bottle the cigarette and now this you want to seal you seal it he asked if he was free to go the
officer said yes and then he left police are now back to square one Robert Denny
is outright defiant in all their efforts to get his DNA when you're involved with
something like that you know the old saying is trust your instincts in your gut and that's important I mean because
you'll feel something when it's not right we have an agency from another state come to us needing our help to
catch a killer from their jurisdiction who killed a young woman in a brutal fashion
and it's pressure to not let anyone down not let the family down of the victim first of all and and the voiceless
victim being Miss [Music] Parker now East police must try more covert attempts to get Robert Denny's
DNA we were detailed to do surveillance we were looking for those opportunities that he would become
careless when we were doing surveillance at the resid where he was staying we were looking to see if he would put his
trash out to the curb like every other person in America would normally do on trash date but he wasn't doing that he
would load him up in in this little pickup truck and he would take it to the dump he was a very nervous and paranoid
individual detectiv take out the computer store where Robert Denny Works they now believe it's their only chance
to get a DNA sample from Denny spit up to two surveillance teams and we in a van that was blacked
out me and my partner at the time we were out of a card using binoculars in a video camera keeping an eye on front and
back of the business you know moving around not to be seen continuously you feel the pressure anytime you're doing
anything undercover there's that inherent risk and it becomes nerve-wracking we were about 200 yard
away from the rear entrance of where he worked at every 15 20 minutes we saw Robert coming
out of the building and when he came out of the building he would start smoking he would always look around he
was real nervous and he would smok a cigarette and he put it out put it in his pocket he did that all day all day it
became obvious that he was protecting from leaving any evidence at that point we were like man this is
crazy he's Keen he's Savvy he knows what DNA is all about we were like you know there's probably no way that we're
getting this guy's DNA although Robert was so careful not to leave his DNA when the investigators
are following him and keeping an eye on him he has this habit of repeatedly spit
on the third day he smoked a cigarette did his cigarette routine but as soon as he got done
smoking he did the one thing that none of us expected and to this day I'm not even sure if he realized he did
it he spit on the ground seven [Music] times this is the moment eastn police have been waiting for they may never get
another chance and one of the surano teams was able to see where he spit so that after
Robert dny left that area they're able to go right to that area and without any doubt see it's still on on the pavement
and was able to collect it it was his spit it was no one else's spit there's no chance of um
cross-contamination that was an unbelievable point in the investigation a huge break for us was a huge win you
know for us to be able to you know obtain that sample and uh they sent it off to the
lab and we're waiting I'm waiting I'm waiting finally the DNA results come back that Slava matched with the DNA
that was recovered at the crime scene of Jacksonville and that was the touchdown
everybody wanted the whole team was very excited KD call me and said we got a positive
hit when you come wow it's not that simple what do you mean it's not that simple we got a DNA head on this
guy he's your killer Jacksonville Beach Florida two years after her murder Justice for Corey
Parker seems Within Reach the beautiful young woman stabbed 101 times in her own
apartment but now police have a DNA match from the murder scene to a man named Robert Denny police believe the
match guarantees an indictment but of course there's a hitch the state prosecutor decided that she didn't want
to charge him yet because he could explain that DNA away the detectives need to establish that Robert Denny was
not in Corey's apartment at any point prior to her murder you know because he could say Hey
you know Cory and I were friends and I went over and we watch TV together or something so we needed that denial that
he was ever in the apartment the detective they have to get him to say that he was never in that
apartment Jacksonville detectives returned to Maryland to work on a plan with Easton police detective Katie
Kingston will wear a wire and talk to Robert Denny they believed that Robert Denny
felt very overconfident with women so Katie decided to go up there and play clueless she walks up to the house
knocks on the door he answers you know she goes through the whole introduction of hey I'm Katie Kingston I'm a
detective from Jacksonville I'm working on this this homicide that happened down
there and you know goes into you know I've been sent up here to to do a followup on the case you know and I
wanted to reach out did you ever live in jackonville you know that kind of thing
I'm sitting about a block away listening on The Wire she put up such a good act uh you know how you have a script
and in this script you'll have Direction well in her case her script said do you
know Cory Parker show him pictur and she literally said do you know Cory Parker show him picture do you know Cory
Parker or ever talk to her show picture that's Cory Parker yeah so she asked him several questions did you know
Cory Parker no I've seen her but I don't know her did you ever drive to her apartment
you never went to her apartment no and she walked off and I'm just rolled cuz now we got
them so she came back we high-fived we went back she called the state's attorney I start typing out a search
warrant to actually go into the house and snatch him you're listen to that wire and you hear that Deni that's you
know that's huge you know you're on track once that DNA matches DNA is your DNA it's no one
else's the State's Attorney was happy with what she got issued the arrest warrant so we walked up locked on the
door he opened the door search warant you're under arrest and as I'm reading this to him
you could start seeing the light bulb going off in his head but he thinks that he pulled the wo over her eyes and that
was his downfall that's when we got him his DNA it it was great it was great I have enough physical
evidence um to charge you with another of cor and I am going to charge you with the mother or father what Happ you that
is wo I didn't do this I didn't murder anybody you can't have any evidence if is possible because I didn't do I can't
admit I he started right away saying you got the wrong person I just want you to
tell me the truth okay telling me you can not have anything me I look your eyes I didn't you s
Robert Denny goes to trial 2005 in court the prosecution describes in detail the gruesome murder scene I
found out what happened to her and [Music] sorry seeing you know what he did to her
we stopped Corey 101 times and the way he kind of posed her a certain way I almost feel that was cuz he wanted
her boyfriend to find her like that or something you know just gross evil nasty um we often you know say rest in peace
peace but there's no doubt in my mind she did not leave in peace this wasn't a peaceful way to depart this
world I've seen some evil people do some terrible things and this is this is a prime example that's an evil
person Miss Cory I didn't kill Cory Parker how did your forcibly removed hair get on her bloody rolled up
underwear next to her father I don't know the trial was week long when defense rested jury went into
deliberation and 20 minutes later came out with a full guilty verdict we the jury find a defendant guilty of murder
in the first degree as charged in the indictment we the jury further find that the killing was done with premeditation
Robert Denny was convicted of first-degree murder sentenced to life of no Patrol it's it's a big win it's huge
and it's a a good sense of accomplishment when you when you're able to do that it was a huge
relief for many reasons he's off the street now can never hurt somebody cuz I think he would
have he's that kind of evil doesn't just go away Robert Denny is just a 17-year-old
minor when he murders Corey Parker and therefore he avoids the death penalty the Thanksgiving season although it's a
time to spend with your family and loved ones this can add a lot of stress to a person somebody that is mentally fragile
already this could be the thing that sort of pushes them over that edge this type of
tragedy should never have happened for it to happen on a holiday Tain that holiday for that
family forever you know they're not going to remember Thanksgiving as a day of joy you they're going to remember
Thanksgiving is the day that Corey died with each passing season Amy Laden and Corey's family can look back on Cory
Parker's life with love and gratitude for the time they had with her I have great memories of her you know
she taught me a [Music] lot our last Thanksgiving together is very special to me and I'll never forget
it that's for sure we had wonderful friends we were hanging out with and I'll cherish that moment for the rest of
my life a beautiful and vibrant young woman so loved by family and friends now the victim of a truly sens
less and brutal murder still Cory Parker's love of Life fuels a memory of her a memory that will never go away a
memory that will never fade I'm iy Grace thank you for joining us here on the Christmas killings
[Music] [Music]

When the usually reliable Corey Parker fails to turn up for work, a colleague is dispatched to her apartment, where they find her dead. She’s been stabbed 101 times. The investigation leads to a hunt for a sadistic and cunning killer.

Hosted by Nancy Grace, The Christmas Killings is a true crime docuseries that blends merry with mystery as it delves into holiday-season homicide investigations.

Brief Summary

Corey Parker was brutally murdered in 1998; Robert Denny was convicted after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Key points

A Disturbing Discovery. A coworker's obsession with Cory raises suspicions during the investigation.
The Thanksgiving Murder. In 1998, Corey Parker's life was tragically cut short just before Thanksgiving.
The Search for Answers. Detectives are on the hunt for clues in a brutal murder case.
DNA Match Found. Police discover a DNA match linking Robert Denny to the murder of Corey Parker.
Trial Verdict. Robert Denny is found guilty of first-degree murder after a week-long trial.
A Family's Grief. Corey Parker's family reflects on their loss during the Thanksgiving season.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Cory was stabbed 101 times.

Details of the brutal murder.

1:07WatchApr 29, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.