January 29, 2016
McKinney, Texas – Lawrence Parker, Jr., age 43, of Princeton, Texas was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, after a jury convicted him of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child, announced Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis. “Parker is locked up for life with no parole. But even that isn’t enough punishment for what he did to this child. At least we know he will never again have another opportunity to harm a child,” added Willis.
In March of 2015, Princeton police received an online tip that Parker was sexually abusing a child who was known to the family. Based on the tip, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services began an investigation. When found after several days, the young girl was taken to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County for a forensic interview.
During that interview, the victim gave gruesome and graphic details of ongoing sexual abuse by Parker which began when she was 13. Collin County Sheriff Investigator Gerald Burk interviewed Parker on several occasions in which Parker denied any sexual contact with the victim and also claimed she had a mental illness. In his final interview, Parker confessed to having sex with her more than 25 times. Parker claimed that the girl sexually attacked him, and his acquiescence was only to help her with her mental illness.
At trial, the victim testified and explained in detail the ongoing sexual abuse she experienced from Parker. The sexual assaults took place in multiple locations, however, she was able to recall specific instances in Collin County and Dallas County. The investigation began after the victim reached out to a friend online.
Judge James Fry sentenced Parker to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Geeta Singletary and Zeke Fortenberry prosecuted the case and were assisted by District Attorney Investigator Stephanie Strickland.
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