a high school student who murdered Two Dartmouth professors have been granted parole after spending their adult lives behind bars in a bizarre plot to rob their own home and flee to Australia.
James Parker, now almost 40, was 16 when he and Robert Tulloch convinced Half and Susan Zantop that they were conducting a survey on climate issues in 2001.
After Xantops invites two teenagers into his new hampshire home, Tulloch stabbed Half and allegedly instructed Parker to stab Suzanne. The boys did not know the couple and chose their house because it looked expensive and was surrounded by trees.
Before the murders, the two estimated that they would need $10,000 to move from their home in Chelsea, Vermont, to Australia, and he planned to kill random captives before giving them their financial passwords. But they were only able to remove $340 from Half’s wallet and were tracked down by police after leaving the sheaths of his knives at home.
James Parker during his parole hearing in Concord, NH on April 18, 2024 (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
Authorities say the autopsy of missing Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew is complete
Although the police initially suspected crime of passion From a suspected connection, fingerprints on the sheath and a bloody boot print led them to the two boys three weeks after the January 29, 2001 murder, according to a later retracted report by the Boston Globe.
Nearly 25 years after pleading guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder, he told New Hampshire’s state parole board that his actions were “unimaginably horrific.”
Parker recalled his plan with Tulloch, “We were trying to go abroad and have some kind of adventurous life.” “It’s very difficult. I’ve thought about it over and over again and am just looking for an explanation for it, I don’t know how I can do it.
Sign up to receive true crime newsletter
Susan Zantop, 55, and husband Half Zantop, 62, were murdered in their New Hampshire home on January 29, 2001, by high school students Robert Tulloch and James Parker. Susan was head of the German Studies department at Dartmouth University, while her husband taught earth sciences. (associated Press)
Former employee alleges sexual abuse, retaliates for complaints at NH youth detention facility
He told the board on April 18, “I know I don’t have very much time to turn this around or ease any of the pain it has caused me.” “I am deeply sorry.”
People who knew the high school boys were shocked by the murders, telling the Cape Cod Times that they were “class clowns.”
“Jimmy is the class clown,” said Casey Purcell, a senior who participated. Chelsea High School With two boys, the outlet reported after his arrest in 2001. “He’s never really serious. That’s all there is to him. Rob is the one who is always voted the most for taking over the world, just because he’s so funny. But they’re not violent. He likes tricks and things, but nothing like this.”
Parker’s attorney, Kathy Green, spoke of her client’s “excellent” disciplinary record during his time behind bars. Parker earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees while in prison and painted artworks that are now on display at the prison, she said. He has acted in jailhouse theatrical productions, taken up sports, and helped develop educational guidelines for prisoners.
“Twenty-four years ago, when he was 16 years old, Jim Parker committed a terrible crime. He has fully accepted responsibility for his actions and is deeply remorseful,” Green told Fox News Digital Friday. “He knows that nothing he can say or do will bring solace to Xantops’ family and friends.”
Follow the Fox True Crime team on X
Parker is photographed February 20, 2001, as he is led to the Henry County Courthouse in New Castle, Ind. He and Tulloch hatched a plan to rob and murder strangers to raise money to fly to Australia, Parker said at a parole hearing last week. (Getty Images)
However, he said, his client “has made every effort over the last 24 years to not only better himself, but to better the prison community. He is very appreciative of the opportunity the parole board has given him to the community.” “Given the privilege of living in.”
Green said he would not comment to the media “In honor of the Zantop family.” He may be released early next month.
According to court documents, Parker was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison after testifying against Tulloch. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that giving a juvenile a mandatory life sentence was unconstitutional and Parker appealed his sentence in 2018.
Get real time updates directly true crime center
“We were trying to go abroad and live some kind of adventure,” Parker told New Hampshire’s parole board last week. “It’s very difficult. I’ve thought about it over and over again and just looking for an explanation for it, I don’t know how I can do it.” (associated Press)
he withdrew his petition In 2019 after hearing about the rejection of Zantop’s surviving daughter.
Of the nine people associated with Xantops who attended Parker’s parole hearing, one cried when his request for early release was granted.
In light of the parole board’s decision, daughter Veronica Zantop said she “wishes James Parker and his family all the best and hopes they recover.”
Robert Tulloch, pictured in the undated photo, was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder in the deaths of the Xantops. His new sentencing hearing is scheduled for June. (associated Press)
“It’s hard to make a statement about this, especially because I can’t speak for everyone who was affected by what happened,” Veronica Zantop told the outlet. “For me – I miss my parents and am very sad for all the things they – and we – have missed. I miss my father’s humor and kindness and my mother’s sharp intelligence and perseverance in all things. I’m very grateful for the support we’ve received, among many other things.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
His mother was 55 and his father was 62 when they were murdered. Both German immigrants taught at Dartmouth University. Suzanne was head of the school’s German Studies department and her husband taught earth sciences. The pair were “beloved” by their students and colleagues and had open invitations to many of their homes.
Tulloch, now 40, received a mandatory sentence of life without parole for first-degree murder in the killings. His new sentencing hearing is scheduled for June. Following its 2012 verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that Tulloch and four others who were sentenced to life imprisonment should be resentenced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
