Dateline: Rear Window - 5 harrowing details about Corey Parker's murder, revisited 

Dateline features another chilling murder case of Corey Parker in its episode titled Read Window. Parker was just 25 when she was brutally stabbed 101 times and found murdered in her bedroom. The investigators discovered that the crime scene was staged with the body posed on her bed. However, there were no signs of forced robbery or entry, which diverted the case to suspect someone the victim closely knew.

The case went cold for 2 years, and that is when the investigators got their lead to Parker's former neighbor, Robert Denney. The shocking details of the case leave the victim's family and the residents in shock, as Denney was just 17 at the time of the murder. Why he murdered Parker remains unknown, as shown on Dateline.

Read on to know 5 harrowing details of the gruesome case.

Here are the 5 harrowing details about Corey Parker's murder, revisited, as shown on Dateline

Over 100 stab wounds on Corey's body

When Parker's body was found on November 27, 1998, the autopsy revealed 101 stab wounds over her body, as shown on Dateline. The brutality led to extreme rage as 54 wounds were inflicted after she was already dead. This was not a simple murder that occurred during a robbery, but a murder motivated by deep outrage. This hinted to the investigators that the killer knew her.

The crime scene was staged

Her body was discovered naked and placed in what is considered to be a "sexually suggestive" position on her bed. Despite this, there was no sign of forced entry or any clear robbery motive. When Parker's body was checked, there was no semen found, which made the crime scene even more disturbing. The clothes she wore the night before were folded neatly at the foot of the bed, which suggests that the scene was staged after the murder was done.

The case went cold for nearly two years

Despite the blood and forensic evidence, like blood and hair found at the crime scene, the initial investigation failed to produce credible suspects. Denney had also disappeared from the location and didn't come on the authority's radar. The investigators questioned various coworkers and acquaintances, but they were all eventually cleared.

For a long no arrest was made, and hence the case went cold for 2 years. However, a new tip in forensic science revived the case, bringing justice to the victim, per Dateline.

Denney refused to give a DNA sample

The forensic tip led them to Robert Denney, Parker's former neighbour. However, Denney refused to provide a voluntary DNA sample when asked. However, the investigators kept following him for the right opportunity, and when he carelessly spat on the ground during his work break, they collected his sample and examined it to match the DNA found in the blood and hair found at the crime scene. The DNA showed a match, and that is when the prosecutors, after years of wandering, got hold of the murderer.

Despite the conviction, the motive remains unknown

During the entire trial and investigation of this case, no definite motive of the killer could be identified. There was no robbery, no sexual assault, nor a dispute between Parker and Denney. The prosecutors anticipated that Denney possibly had an obsession with Parker and was fantasizing about her, which led to stalking and eventually the crime.

Trending

Decades later, the "Why" of this crime couldn't be pinpointed, and the unresolved mystery of what really drove the psychology of committing this crime continues, as shown on Dateline. Denney was sentenced to life in prison.

The Dateline episode explored how Corey Parker's murder reveals the gruesome savagery that can result from extreme obsession, even with someone so young and close. The crime study also emphasises the involvement of forensic science through DNA testing that can revive cold cases that have no witnesses, weapons, or confessions.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback