A high school student who murdered two Dartmouth College professors in a bizarre plot to rob them in their homes and immigrate to Australia has been granted parole after spending his entire adult life in prison.
James Parker, now nearly 40, was 16 in 2001 when he convinced Robert Tulloch, Herf Zantop, and Suzanne Zantop that he was doing research on climate issues. .
After the Xantops invited the two teenagers to their New Hampshire home, Tulloch allegedly stabbed Harf and directed 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 killings, the pair estimated they would need $10,000 to move from their home in Chelsea, Vermont, to Australia, and planned to force random captors to give out their financial passwords before killing them. But they were tracked down by police after they took only $340 from Harf’s wallet and left the knife sheath at home.
James Parker during his parole hearing, April 18, 2024, Concord, New Hampshire (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
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Police initially suspected a crime of love stemming from an affair, but according to a Boston Globe report that was later retracted, fingerprints on the scabbard and bloody boot prints were found three weeks after the January 29, 2001, killing. It is said that the two boys were found there.
Nearly 25 years after pleading guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder, he told the New Hampshire Parole Board that his actions were “unimaginably horrifying.”
“We were looking to move abroad and live some sort of adventurous life,” Parker recalled of his plans with Tulloch. “It’s really difficult. I’ve thought about it over and over again, but I just found an explanation for it and I don’t know how I can do it.
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Suzanne Zantop, 55, and her husband, Harf Zantop, 62, were murdered in their New Hampshire home on January 29, 2001, by high school students Robert Tulloch and James Parker. Suzanne headed the German studies department at Dartmouth College, where her husband taught earth science. (Related news organizations)
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“I know there is not enough time to change the situation or alleviate the pain I have caused, but I am truly sorry,” he told the board on April 18.
Those who knew the high school boys were shocked by the killings and told the Cape Cod Times that they were “class clowns.”
“Jimmy was the class clown,” Casey Purcell, a senior who attended Chelsea High School with the two boys, told the outlet after his 2001 arrest. “He’s never serious. That’s all he has. Rob is always chosen as the person likely to conquer the world just because he’s so resourceful. But they… They’re not violent. They like tricks and such, but they don’t like anything like this. “
Parker’s attorney, Kathy Green, touted her client’s “excellent” disciplinary record while incarcerated. She said Parker earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees while incarcerated and painted work that is now on display inside the prison. He has acted in prison theater productions, taken up sports, and helped create educational guidelines for inmates.
“Twenty-four years ago, at the age of 16, Jim Parker committed a terrible crime. He has fully accepted responsibility for his actions and remains deeply remorseful,” Greene told Fox News Digital on Friday. Told. “He knows that nothing he says or does will bring comfort to his family and friends at Xanthops.”
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Parker was photographed being led into the Henry County Courthouse in New Castle, Indiana on February 20, 2001. Parker and Tulloch said at a previous parole hearing that they planned to rob and kill strangers to raise money to move to Australia. week. (Getty Images)
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However, her client “has done everything in his power for the past 24 years to not only better himself, but to better the prison community. I am very grateful for the gift.” . ”
Green said he would not comment to the media “out of respect for the Zantop family.” He could be released as early as next month.
Parker was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years after testifying against Tulloch, according to court documents. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that it was unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life in prison, and Parker appealed the ruling in 2018.
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“We were looking to move overseas and live some kind of adventurous life,” Parker told the New Hampshire Parole Board last week. “It’s really difficult. I’ve thought about it over and over again, but I just couldn’t find an explanation for it, and I don’t know how I could do it.” (Related news organizations)
He withdrew the petition in 2019 after hearing the disapproval of Zantop’s surviving daughter.
Of the nine Xantops officials who appeared at Parker’s parole hearing, one screamed when his request for early release was granted.
“I hope so,” said his daughter Veronica Zantop, given the parole board’s decision.[ed] James Parker and his family, the best hops[ed] That they can heal. ”
Robert Tulloch, pictured in an undated photo, was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder in the Xantops’ deaths. He is scheduled for a new sentencing hearing in June. (Related news organizations)
“It is difficult to make a statement about this, especially because I cannot speak for everyone affected by this event,” Veronica Zantop told the outlet. “For me, I miss my parents and I deeply grieve everything they, and we, have lost. My father’s sense of humor and kindness, my mother’s keen sense of everything. I will miss your resourcefulness and tenacity, especially among so many things. I am deeply grateful for all the support we have received.”
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The mother was 55 years old and the father 62 years old when they were murdered. Both German immigrants taught at Dartmouth College. Suzanne was the head of the school’s German studies department, and her husband taught earth science. They were “loved” by their students and colleagues and were widely invited to many homes.
Tulloch, now 40, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder. He is scheduled for a new sentencing hearing in June. After the 2012 verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that Tulloch and four other people sentenced to life in prison should be outraged.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
