Steven Parker was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for the murder of a couple. According to court documents Steven Parker would murder the couple who lived next door to him, stole a number of possessions and their vehicle and fled the State. Steven Parker would be arrested in Nevada and extradited back to Arizona where he was convicted and sentenced to death.
Steven Parker 2021 Information
ASPC Florence, Central Unit
PO Box 8200
STEVEN J. PARKER 253735
Florence, AZ 85132
United States
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Steven John Parker was sentenced to death for the murders of Wayne and Faye Smith. According to police, the couple was found stabbed and beaten to death in their Phoenix home on September 24, 2005. The home had also been burglarized. Parker lived next door to the Smith’s at the time of the murders. The investigation revealed Parker borrowed a car and drove to California and then Mexico. The vehicle was eventually abandoned in San Diego. Parker was later arrested in Las Vegas and charged with the double homicide
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Wayne and Faye Smith were found murdered in their home on September 26, 2005. Faye’s ankles were bound, and she had been stabbed to death. Wayne also had been stabbed several times, but died from blunt force trauma to his head. The medical examiner could not determine the time of death for either victim, but they were last seen alive two days earlier, on September 24.
¶ 3 Wayne’s wallet and Faye’s purse were missing from the home. On September 24, 2005, between 4:50 and 5:30 p.m., someone used the Smiths’ credit and bank cards at several locations near their home. The next day, the cards were used at an ATM in Quartzsite, Arizona, and at a gas station in Temecula, California.
¶ 4 At the time of the murders, Parker lived next door to the Smiths with a roommate, Tasha Uhl. On September 24, the likely day of the murders, Uhl could not find Parker around 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon, despite calling for him both inside and outside the house. Parker later came in and told Uhl he had been doing yard work and had not heard her call. Uhl left around 5:00 p.m., and Parker’s girlfriend picked him up from the house just over an hour later. The two were together until the morning of Sunday, September 25.
¶ 5 That day, Parker left in Uhl’s car without her permission. At the time, Parker owed money to his employer. He drove to Mexico and then to California. He abandoned the car in San Diego and hitched a ride to Chino, California, where friends told him he was a “person of interest” in the Smiths’ murders. Parker then took a bus to Las Vegas, where he remained for four days until he was arrested and jailed on October 13, 2005. Police questioned Parker about the murders, but charged him only with stealing Uhl’s car and his employer’s money. Parker eventually pleaded guilty to stealing from his employer and was sentenced to probation.
¶ 6 Shortly after Parker’s release from jail, testing revealed that Parker’s DNA matched DNA from a drop of blood found on the Smiths’ kitchen sink and DNA from a napkin found on the kitchen counter. Police arrested Parker again on May 26, 2006, and charged him with the murders, first degree burglary, and kidnapping.
¶ 7 At trial, Parker testified that he was not involved in the crimes and asserted that another man killed the Smiths. The jury found him guilty of all charges. The jury also found three aggravating factors: pecuniary gain, A.R.S. § 13–751(F)(5); especial cruelty, id. § 13–751(F)(6); and multiple homicides, id. § 13–751(F)(8). After finding no mitigation sufficient to call for leniency, the jury determined that Parker should be sentenced to death for each murder.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/az-supreme-court/1625396.html
