The lawyer for Jonathan Parker on Tuesday asked that the case against his client be carried over as a mental evaluation continues and evidence reports are compiled. Parker, 44, is accused of first-degree murder in the death in October of 78-year-old John Robert Cole at Cole’s home in Elizabethtown.
Judge Pauline Hankins set Dec. 21 as the next court date during Tuesday’s session of District Court at the Bladen County Courthouse. Parker did not appear in court Tuesday.
Parker’s lawyer, Butch Pope of Whiteville, told the court that Parker is being held (at Central Prison) in Raleigh for his own safety and is being evaluated. Pope said he had spoken with Parker on Monday.
Outside the courtroom, Pope said he has filed motions for access to the physical evidence from the case and officer notes, which is standard procedure.
Parker’s bond was set at $5 million in October.
Cole was killed Oct. 19. He had been stabbed with an Army knife that had a blade about six inches long, according to Bladen County Coroner Hubert Kinlaw.
Officers were called to the residence about 10:11 a.m. on Oct. 19 and found Cole and with multiple lacerations, Elizabethtown interim Police Chief Kip Hester said.
When officers arrived on scene, a witness said that Parker left the home on foot toward a wooded area across the street, Hester said. Law enforcement personnel from Elizabethtown, Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and N.C. Highway Patrol searched the area. A Sheriff’s Office helicopter was used in the search. Parker was captured after about an hour.
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