Viswa Vanapalli
Corey Parker’s young life ended violently on Thanksgiving day in 1998. She was murdered in an apartment in what seemed like overkill. But the authorities got to the bottom of it only years later when DNA evidence linked Robert Denney to the murder. NBC News’ ‘Dateline: Rear Window’ focuses on the circumstances surrounding Corey’s slaying and the suspects that the authorities looked into. Amy Lavin and Tiffany Zienta, two of Corey’s friends, shared their experiences spending time with the young woman.
Who Are Amy Lavin and Tiffany Zienta?
Corey went to Florida because of the weather and eventually found friends she could trust. One of them was Amy Lavin, and they met in the bathroom of a bar on Jacksonville Beach in Florida while they were waiting in line. On the show, Amy talked about them getting into a bit of trouble when they were young and thought Corey was tall and beautiful, adding she could have modeled if she wanted to.
But Amy said they got along so well because they were fiercely independent. In fact, Corey had even moved into an apartment to start a new life living by herself. However, as per the show, there were reports of a peeping tom looking into Corey’s apartment in the building. Just before the murder, she was seen at a local lounge hanging out with some friends, including Tiffany Zienta.
Corey and Tiffany spent a lot of time going out, and on that night, Tiffany talked about how they left the lounge around the same time. While Tiffany got a ride back home, Corey drove her car to her place. As per the show, she was supposed to stop by Tiffany’s the following day but never showed. When Corey didn’t show up for her shift as a waitress, alarm bells began going off. Eventually, a coworker drove to her house and noticed a bloody leg inside.
The authorities were alerted and found Corey brutally stabbed over a hundred times. As the investigation continued, the police looked at Tiffany as a possible suspect since she was the last to see Corey alive. According to the show, Tiffany claimed to have called Corey at around 2:15 AM, about 45 minutes after leaving the lounge. However, phone records didn’t reflect that. Furthermore, she had talked about some details of the murder that weren’t yet public knowledge. At one point, she stopped cooperating with the authorities as well.
Amy Lavin and Tiffany Zienta Are Focusing on Their Families
Ultimately, it was Robert Denney, someone who lived close by at the time of the murder, who was convicted of the crime. Tiffany mentioned on the show that she hired a lawyer because she was scared and not because she didn’t want to cooperate. Amy stated that she sometimes struggled with how things turned out and wondered if Corey would have been alive if she had invited Corey to Thanksgiving with her.
Amy has kept a low profile since then, and from what we can tell, she lives in Florida. As for Tiffany, even she talked about dealing with the whole ordeal badly. However, she seems to be doing much better now. Tiffany currently works as a nurse and still lives in Jacksonville Beach. She is happily married to John Reid and is a mother to three children. For now, Tiffany splits her time between work and family.
Read More: How Did Corey Parker Die?
