[Vision2020] Three for Sarah

[Art Deco]

Sentencing for Silas Parks delayed again
Posted on: Thursday, June 24, 2010

The sentencing hearing for Silas Parks, who admitted to killing his pregnant wife and setting fire to their Moscow apartment, has met a second delay. Parks' June 30 sentencing has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 3.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said the hearing was delayed to allow for more time for the prosecution's clinical physiologist from Boise to independently evaluate Parks.

"We would certainly prefer that we didn't have these delays but we have an obligation to independently have the defendant evaluated and provide that information to the court as well," he said. The prosecution's physiologist's evaluation and report could take several weeks, Thompson said. The evaluation itself should be concluded by the beginning of July, he said.

Thompson was granted a motion to ask for more time to adequately prepare a cross-examination of a psychologist hired by Parks' defense June 8. Time was needed to locate an independent expert to review the psychologist's report and take other actions deemed necessary, he said. The sentencing was rescheduled during a conference call over the phone with 2nd District Judge Jeff Brudie, according to the Idaho Judiciary Repository.

Parks, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter in March in relation to the June 24 deaths of his wife, Sarah Parks, and their unborn child, Lilly Ann Parks.

Parks also pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree arson for setting fire to their Moscow home the day of the killings. Parks will face up to 40 years in prison for the three felony counts.

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Sarah Parks remembered one year after her death
Friends gather in Friendship Square to make domestic violence visible
By Christina Lords Daily News staff writer

Posted on: Friday, June 25, 2010

Under the shade of a large tree in Friendship Square, Sue and Tim Hand bend over a handful of blank poster board.

Tim kneels, using a bench as a table. 

In large, loopy blue letters he scrawls "We miss you Sarah."

The Hands, former students and other friends gathered in the square Thursday afternoon in remembrance of Sarah Parks, a Moscow Charter School third-grade teacher who was killed, along with her unborn daughter, in an act of domestic violence by her husband, Silas Parks.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Sarah Parks' death.

Tim, a fifth-grade teacher at the Moscow Charter School, said writing down thoughts or sentiments to remember Sarah is a way to release some of the pain associated with her death.

A few weeks after she was killed, the school was opened to allow Sarah's students to make cards, write letters and create works of art to remember her, he said.

"I've had a talk with my fifth-graders, and they remember where they were and who told them," Tim said. "It's very vivid. They said, 'I'll never forget where I was when Mom told me.' "

Friends casually took turns telling some of their favorite stories, including noting Sarah's kindness, faith in God and love for her students.

Moscow Charter School Principal Trish Bechtel said Parks was always proud of her Southern roots, including her love of the Texas Longhorns. Bechtel added she missed "our ... Texas Rose" to Tim's poster.

"She used to always call me ma'am," she said. "She'd always say, 'What do I do next, ma'am?' ... I always had to say, 'I'm just Trish, Sarah, you don't have to call me ma'am.' "

Sue, an organizer of Thursday's event, said the gathering was a way to keep issues related to domestic violence in the forefront of people's minds.

"I don't want people to forget the way that she died," she said. "We need to send a message. She died a year ago ... and that little baby girl would have been about 7 months old now. Neither of them are here today."

Sue said she felt Sarah's presence as she got into her truck Thursday, which has a pin in it of Sarah's photo.

"I kind of feel I need to represent her voice," she said. "On a bigger level, I want to (remind) people that domestic violence is a community issue."

Sue said she has worked to undergo the volunteer training for Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse to educate herself and others on the effects of domestic violence.

Education for children on healthy relationships and the availability of counseling services are critical to raising awareness for issues relating to domestic violence, she said.

Legal reform also is needed to regulate harsher sentences for people who commit domestic violence, Sue said.

Adrien Loehring, a coordinator for Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, and several other ATVP members attended the gathering to support Sarah Parks' friends and their goals of raising awareness of domestic violence in Moscow.

Loehring said ATVP offers services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, as well as people who know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence.

ATVP provides a 24-hour crisis hotline and a 24-hour shelter for men, women and children who have experienced domestic violence, among other services.

It is important to address the victim of a domestic violence crime the same way as any other crime, she said.

"People shouldn't ask, 'Why didn't she leave him?' " Loehring said. "They should ask, 'Why did he hit her?' We never ask, 'Oh, what were you doing out here getting mugged?' We need to put the blame where blame is, and that's on the perpetrators."

People should actively look for signs of domestic violence in their friends and family, from withdrawal from friends or the things they like to do to physical signs of abuse, she said.

People should never be afraid to call the police or ask questions if they think someone is involved in domestic violence, she said.

"So many times we hear from people, 'I don't want to get involved,' " Loehring said. "You need to talk about it. Make it your business ... because that's how things like (Sarah's murder) happen."

For information on ATVP, call the Moscow office at (208) 882-2490, call the Pullman office at (509) 332-0552 or go to www.atvp.org.

For 24-hour help from ATVP's crisis hotline, call (208) 883-HELP or (509) 332-HELP. 

Christina Lords can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by e-mail to clords at dnews.com.

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Mourners remember slain Moscow teacher
June 25th, 2010  By David Johnson of the Tribune

Friends gather on the anniversary of Sarah Parks' death at husband's hands

MOSCOW - One year after Sarah Parks was killed, a handful of mourners gathered in Friendship Square here Thursday afternoon to honor the late teacher and remind people domestic violence is a living reality. 

"We actually got a call from the school secretary around 10 o'clock in the morning that she had died and we all gathered at the school and were told the news," Sue Hand, a teacher at Moscow Charter School, said while recalling the June 24, 2009, incident. "At that point they didn't know how she died." 

Parks, who was pregnant, was found lying in the burned-out apartment she rented with her husband, Silas Parks. An autopsy showed that Sarah Parks, and the unborn child, had died of suffocation prior to the fire. 

Silas Parks, who initially denied any involvement, was eventually charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson. He pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and one count of first-degree arson in March. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and remains free on bond at his parents' home in Kendrick. 

"There's been so much publicity about his sentencing," Hand said. So she and her husband, Tim Hand, also a teacher at Moscow Charter School, decided to organize Thursday's gathering. "I'm just calling it a poster tribute to Sarah Parks and Lilly Ann, her daughter," Sue Hand said. 

Around 15 people participated for two hours, quietly holding posters for pedestrians and motorists to observe. "Remembering Sarah Parks," one poster read. "Stop Domestic Violence," read another. 

Tim Hand said people tend to forget how prevalent domestic violence is everywhere. He recalled the shooting spree here three years ago that resulted in the death of four people, including the shooter and a Moscow police officer. People recall that incident, Tim Hand said, mostly because of the violence that happened in the vicinity of the Latah County Courthouse. But the first violent act, he said, was the shooter killing his wife at their home outside of town. 

Silas Parks' sentencing, which had been scheduled for earlier this month, has been continued to Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. requested the delay so his office could prepare for cross examination of a psychologist called to testify for the defense. 

Tim Hand said the year of legal action and resulting publicity has taken its toll on children at Moscow Charter School, where Sarah Parks was a third-grade teacher. "There were a number of sixth-, fifth- and fourth-graders who had her as a teacher," he said. "And it was fascinating talking to the kids. They didn't even want to use the word Parks anymore because it was associated with Silas." 

The Hands said the school children are acutely aware of the circumstances surrounding their teacher's death, and the effect of what amounts to a lesson on murder remains at the school. Sue Hand said a vigil for Sarah Parks and her unborn child was conducted about two weeks ago. 

"That's when we thought the sentencing was supposed to happen," she said. Thursday's gathering, she said, was simply to observe the anniversary of the violence by paying tribute to the victims and their family members. "She doesn't have a voice," Sue Hand said of Sarah Parks, "so she can't speak up against domestic violence." 

Court records show Silas Parks had a history of violence against his wife. He also told authorities, according to records, that he "saw red" on the day of his wife's death. As part of a plea agreement struck between the prosecution and defense, Silas Parks has agreed to tell the court what happened on the day of his wife's death. Family members will be allowed an opportunity to confront Silas Parks in the courtroom. 

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Johnson may be contacted at djohnson at lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.
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