Viswa Vanapalli
In March 2009, Laverne “Kay” Parsons paid the ultimate price for her husband’s unfaithfulness. She was found savagely beaten to death in her own home in what looked like a burglary. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent: Tangled Up in Red’ chronicles how the police were able to peel away the layers to reveal a plot far more sinister than a robbery gone wrong. So, are you curious to know what happened? We’ve got you covered.
How Did Laverne “Kay” Parsons Die?
Kay was originally from Pennsylvania and was born in February 1968. She married David, her high school sweetheart, and they had a son together named Derek. The family moved to Grovetown, Georgia, in 2005. David, a former military man, took up a job there as a contractor. 41-year-old Kay worked at a local physical therapy clinic. The loving mother was close to her family and very involved with her son’s upbringing. But Kay’s life met an unfortunate end on March 25, 2009.
A construction worker arrived at the Parsons home at around 8:45 AM to get some work done. When there was no answer at the front door, he walked to the backdoor, where he noticed shattered glass. He immediately called the police. They found Kay on the garage floor, barely breathing. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and body. While Kay was rushed to the hospital, the police assessed the crime scene. There was blood spatter found inside the house and the residence itself was in a state of disarray. A hammer and a bloody baseball bat were recovered from the scene. Kay died at the hospital a day later.
Who Killed Laverne “Kay” Parsons?
After the initial assessment, the authorities felt that it was a burglary that was interrupted by Kay, catching the culprit unawares. A gold necklace and a watch were missing from the house. Then, Kay’s neighbor, Rebecca Sears, also reported a burglary at her home on the same day. Rebecca was Kay’s colleague and a good friend as well. Her house also seemed to have been tossed, but fortunately, nobody was hurt. While the authorities were exploring the possibility of the two burglaries being connected, they learned of another disturbing incident.
Just days after Kay’s attack, Rebecca became a victim of a shooting outside her workplace. An unknown attacker shot her in the leg and asked her for money before fleeing the scene. The wound was not life-threatening. In the meantime, the authorities discovered a potential connection between Kay’s attack and Rebecca. It turned out that Rebecca had an affair with David that she later said ended in February 2009. But as per the show, the authorities examined her phone records and found that the two still exchanged messages professing their love for each other. This gave Rebecca a possible motive to kill Kay.
Upon questioning, Rebecca confessed to the police regarding the events of that morning. She enlisted the help of her 19-year-old son, Christopher Bowers. Rebecca picked him up from his place and drove him home. While she went to drop her other children at school, Christopher broke into Kay’s house, beat her with a hammer and a baseball bat, and then staged a burglary. After that, Rebecca picked him up as well.
But the story didn’t end there. The burglary reported at her home was staged, and so was the shooting attack on Rebecca outside her workplace. Christopher helped her stage the attack to mislead the police and take attention away from her. Rebecca’s other son, Michael, stated that his mother wanted Kay dead. There was another informant that told police that Rebecca asked him if he could kill her neighbor.
Where is Rebecca Sears Now?
Both Rebecca and Christopher faced the death penalty for their crimes. The prosecution believed that Rebecca was the mastermind behind this gruesome murder plot. To avoid the death penalty, the mother and son struck plea deals with the prosecution. In May 2012, Rebecca pleaded guilty to murder, armed robbery, and burglary. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, a life sentence for the armed robbery, and 20 years for the burglary, all to be served consecutively. As per prison records, she remains incarcerated at the Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Georgia.
Read More: Where is Christopher Bowers Now?
