Richard Parker answers questions during his arraignment at Wilson County Criminal Justice Center in Lebanon, Tenn., on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. Parker, accused of killing his in-laws with a package bomb that exploded in their rural Tennessee home, pleaded not guilty at the arraignment.LEBANON, Tenn. – A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing his mother- and father-in-law with a bomb disguised as a lamp to get out of repaying the couple a $40,000 debt.
Richard Parker entered the plea Tuesday in Wilson County Criminal Court in a deal that calls for him to serve life in prison without parole.
Parker is the son-in-law of Jon and Marion Setzer, who were killed at their house in February when they plugged in the lamp they retrieved from a package that had been left on their porch by Parker. He lived directly behind them in rural Wilson County, which is about 30 miles east of Nashville.
The blast killed 74-year-old Jon Setzer, a retired lawyer. His wife, 72-year-old Marion Setzer, later died at a Nashville hospital from her injuries. Authorities said a handwritten note in the package had instructed the couple to plug in the lamp.
Assistant District Attorney Jimmy Lea said Parker built the bomb with items bought at a Wal-Mart in nearby Gallatin, then placed it in a cardboard box he also got from the store.