Sword and Scale Nightmares - Immaculate

Episode Date: May 24, 2023

Happily married Joseph Parker and his wife fell on hard times after he lost his job. Their beautiful home in Tennessee was foreclosing soon, and they were equally distressed. The pressure was mounting, and they couldn’t imagine things getting any worse. Then, on their 12th anniversary, Joseph begins hearing noises coming from the garage. What he discovered would turn the family upside down.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5863198/advertisement

In a quiet neighborhood in Springfield, Tennessee, used car salesman Joseph Parker sat in his empty but immaculate home, trying to figure out what to do with the many curveball's life had recently thrown at him. At his job, he was a different person than he was at home. As a husband and father at home, he was quiet and reserved. But at work, he enjoyed mingling with people and making a commission from every car sale. That is, until he lost his job.

Now, he couldn't pay his bills and he was in danger of losing his home. On the evening of November 7th, 2014, emergency personnel received a call from him that would, unequivocally, be the strangest they had ever heard. Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares, true crime for bedtime. 45-year-old Joseph Parker was pacing in his living room when he wasn't sitting with his bald head in his hands, letting out enormous, plaintive size. With a recent job loss, he knew he was in trouble financially. Money was dwindling and bills were mounting. Pretty soon the house was going to be in foreclosure. The beautiful house on Clydesdale Lane in Springfield, Tennessee was picture-esque, with

an aesthetically pleasing exterior, a nice concrete driveway and a polished landscape. Both Joe and his wife Samantha were meticulous about the appearance of their home, inside and out. But Samantha was extremely tidy and concerned with keeping it just perfect. Joe was 12 years married to Samantha, a girl from Ohio, and this day happened to be their 12th anniversary. They met through a mutual friend who remembered that Joe had an eye for the ladies and was attracted to Samantha's petite frame and blonde hair. Samantha and Joe raised a daughter together and didn't have marital issues other than what

any other couple would have. The last thing Joe wanted was to disappoint Samantha, but it looked like it was going to come to that. So much stress and so much pressure to maintain the lifestyle they both enjoyed. His wife Samantha hadn't been around for a couple days, so Joe was using this time to sort out his troubles. It wasn't getting anywhere though, just more frustrated. It was while alone pondering his predicament that he heard a noise.

What was that mumbling sound? Joe wondered as he fredded about his situation. The small sound was becoming a buzzing in his ears, faint, but getting louder. He walked rigidly through the back hallway and checked each room, nothing. Then he doubled back to the living room. Then the kitchen. Still nothing. No one. Finally, he realized it must be coming from the only remaining part of the house.

The garage. He stealthily approached the door from the house to the garage. It was definitely louder, so he reached for the door, turned the knob, and entered. Walking across the smooth concrete, he saw the upright freezer he and Sam had purchased to store extra meat. As he walked closer, he concluded that it must be broken. He had to tug on the door to get it to open, and when he did, it swung open violently. He was taken aback by the force of the opening door, but worse than that is what he saw inside. The contents did not consist of extra food or storage. It was empty, except for his wife. There she was. Frozen and crackling as ice continued forming around and on her. Crumpled inside her body looked like it had been forcefully shoved and stuffed in there,

but her eyes were wide open. The eyeballs were blankly staring at the inside refrigerator wall until he saw her blink. He was relieved to think she was still alive, and so he told her to blink once more for yes and twice for no. He realizes she's probably thirsty, so he goes to get a cup of water. Her lips are blue and still stiff from the cold, but she manages to swallow a little bit and it seems to help. At least Joe thought so. Any questions?

Are you okay? Two slow blinks follow. She was obviously not okay. So he quickly placed a 911 call. On the call he tells them he left the front door open and she's in the garage. Then he gives instructions for paramedics to go to the kitchen to get into the garage

and forming them, they would see her once they were in there. He warns them that she's a mess. Joe is far from hysterical, in fact, the calmness in his voice was a strange contrast to the dire circumstances he faced. He continues explaining that she can't talk, but he was able to get her to blink. He assured Sam that he would be calling 911 for help

and tells the 911 operator, she's been frozen for two days. As an aside, he claims that it's amazing she's even alive. Surprising since she's got a big hole in the temple of her head, he describes the injury and tells them there is no exit wound. the injury and tells them there is no exit wound. Joe tries to assure the person online that he made her as comfortable as he could make her and even offered her some water. But he also admits that she was in bad shape and reiterates needing help for her right

away. The words that followed presented an eerie contrast given how stoic his voice was. calmly he says, ma'am, it's like urgent. I mean, I think she's dying. She's got a big hole in the temple. Joe felt like he wasn't believed, so he resorted to hand gestures, even though the operator couldn't see him. He started pointing to his temple

as if he were face to face with the operator. Joe continued, she needed paramedics. She needed everything according to Joe. So he asked for an ambulance, and maybe even a helicopter to be sent because of her trauma. Though, very skeptical, the operator answered, okay, we'll send somebody out there.

Even though Joe's sentences were a bit slow, and he had a distinct southern accent with the slow drawl, his words portrayed what seemed like part truth, part fiction, because if this guy was telling the truth, well, that didn't seem possible. But if so, attempts in the history of Tennessee. Despite the strange, called dispatch answer to about a man's wife in the freezer, responders fled to the scene, even though it sounded unlikely a woman could survive being in a freezer for two days. Not only that, but the caller said that his wife had suffered a huge wound in the temple, and now she was communicating with him from the icebox. On the call, Joe's

even-tempered voice gave the impression that maybe this was a hoax, but he assured the 911 operator that he was telling the truth. There was also more to the discovery of his wife in the freezer as he indicated on the call. What he would say to the operator was unimaginable and preposterous in the sickest way. Joe confesses as if the operator on the other end of the line is a priest. Flatley, he says this is what's happened. He notes there 12-year marriage and admits that on November 4th, two nights ago, he shot his wife in the temple at 4 in the morning.

He recounts the shocking details that followed, starting with his belief that he had killed her. Wondering what to do next, he knew he needed to buy time so he dragged her body across the cement floor and carefully placed her in the garage freezer. After pacing and stewing and feeling horrible for two days about what happened, his mind began to play games with him. He checked on her that night and discovered to his amazement she was still alive with the gaping hole in her temple. He laments that when he saw her she looked uncomfortable, so he tried to reposition her

body but remembers how difficult it was. She had been in the freezer for 48 hours, so when Joe moved her arm it snapped along with the ice that formed around it. Finally, he insists that this is no crank call. He needs somebody to get out here right away and help her out. The responders acted fast, but on the way, they chattered about how ridiculous this all seemed. They answered so many calls that turned out to be nothing. They were sure this was no different. As they pulled up to the home on Clyde's Dale Lane, they saw the well-kept lawn with perfect green grass and beautiful architecture. They

knocked on the door even though it was wide open. Then they shouted for someone to answer the door and loudly hollered out, police come to the door. But no one came. So they gingerly moved forward into each room. So the cops are now creeping through the house, not knowing what or who they would find. knowing what or who they would find, the eerie silence is palpable. The hush, along with pristine rooms, almost made them feel as if they were in a perfectly put together furniture display gallery, rather than a lived in dwelling. After clearing the house, officers make their way to the garage. The scene of this supposed crime where a frozen corpse awaits. When they spot the upright freezer, they realize they may just encounter something legit.

Something only a cold-blooded killer could imagine. They opened the freezer door with guns ready. You never know. What they see is harmless, but alarming. There is Samantha Parker, crumpled into a fetal position and surrounded by ice crystals, with blue lips and frozen limbs. There's no way she's alive. Samantha indeed took a gunshot to the temple with a 38 caliber gun, to be exact. The shooting obviously occurred before Joe's attempt set dismembering her. Parts of limbs were missing, including one of her arms. Her wrist was crudely hacked apart, keeping the rest of the body intact would be difficult

to do when removing her from the freezer. Apparently Joe kept his wife's wish for a clean home because a cursory inspection yielded no signs of blood or tissue, but a closer look would reveal corroborating DNA. No records ever indicated that Joe was violent, or that there were substantial marital troubles. And Joe repeated on the call that he did still love his wife. He added that he had loved her every single day of their marriage. But they just had a rough stretch. Rough indeed, I would say. Otherwise, there were no domestic disputes. Police had never been called to the premises for any reason. He maintained that they simply had a real bad night. Then he brought up the gun and acknowledged that he got himself in trouble.

Perhaps Samantha snapped at him to pick up something off the floor, or tidy the place up. After all, witnesses said so. Samantha was vestidious, almost a neat freak, and more than once, friends or family had seen or heard her sharp tone directed at Joe. One thing seemed very likely, though. Joe just snapped under the weight of looming bills and the potential loss of their house. He had always provided for his family, and now he felt like a miserable failure. The initial job loss triggered him into feeling less than a man, less than a good husband,

and after he snapped, hallucinations caused him to believe his frozen wife was still communicating with him. His drastic actions couldn't be undone and now he had to figure out what his next move was. Regardless of cause or effect, his guilt and pangs of conscience took over and prompted him to call for help. But now, what to do with himself. So, he evacuated. He even told the 911 operator that he cleared the premises and got away. He was not gonna be there,

but promised it was a legit call. In an apologetic but bland voice, he admitted, still loving her, and acknowledged that this would be hard to believe after what he's done. Joe announced that he left the front door open and all the lights on in the house, so it would be kind of easy to spot. He was very detail-oriented, like his wife. He was a fugitive now, and put himself as the central figure in an immediate manhunt. But strangely, he even told the communication center he was driving to Chattanooga via

I-24. Detectives were wary of this information since suspects don't usually reveal their plans or their intended locations. Police were on top of it after they pinged his cell phone in Nashville early the next morning. By that time, Joe was on the top 10 most wanted list. He was deemed armed and dangerous, and residents in the area at large

were told not to approach him. Joe might indeed be the most honest killer in history, or else it was that he wanted to get caught. He was telling the truth about where he was headed. Joe isn't finished destroying lives though, while he's at it he's going to make certain people pay. It's their fault, not his. While being hunted down, he claims he will return

to the Rivergate Toyota dealership where he was recently employed. And when he gets there, he's going to kill multiple people. Speeding down the highway maneuvering between the cars and trucks and route, he sees and hears helicopters overhead. He feels more pressure than ever. There's no way out.

He digs deep into his mind and asks himself whether he wants to spend the rest of his life in the confinements of prison, or whether he would rather spend eternity in hell. The lights, the sirens, the helicopters, intrusive drumming his mind, buzzing. Police are now behind him on Interstate 65 North in Kentucky. Joe steals himself because he knows his next move. Joe Parker is running from the law. He knows he's on the top 10 most wanted list and he no longer has a wife to go home to. He snapped. She's gone. So in a final move, he pulls the car over to the shoulder of the highway.

Cops are blockading the road, so no cars are to be seen. Only the blaring noises of sirens and helicopters. Cop cars are everywhere. And now he hears the familiar bullhorn he's heard on TV and in the movies. He looks around inside his vehicle gaining comfort knowing he's still surrounded by metal and windows. He doesn't have to get out, he thinks. Now one can make him, so he reaches for his gun and aims it at his head, bang, buzz, then silence.

His car is now his bloody casket, and he'll join his wife in the afterlife, hoping she will forgive him, for his most heinous act. Joe and Samantha had an adult daughter. By this time she was fully aware of her dad's actions and her mom's shocking murder at his hand. Most people in this situation would be bitter and overwrought, but surprisingly, she harbored no hatred toward her dad, and forgave him instead. A year after the loss of both parents, a balloon-release ceremony took place in honor of them.

McKenzie Parker memorialized her parents by saying she missed them both equally, and that she wasn't angry. Numerous people questioned how this could be, and surprisingly, she answered, they showed me what I would like to have in a marriage someday. Although she described the experience as a nightmare in which she vividly recalled all that happened, she said she could forgive by the grace of God because her parents raised her to be forgiving. Mackenzie echoed her dad's sentiments the very night he killed her mother, by saying

that it was just a very bad night, and he snapped. She was aware of her dad's job loss and pending foreclosure, but couldn't imagine this drastic an ending. At the ceremony, the crowd chanted, Roll Tide, in honor of Samantha's love for the Alabama sports team, Crimson Tide. A gregarious, people-loving woman, Samantha didn't feel like anyone was a stranger to her. That is, until the night of her death, when her own husband became just that, a stranger, whose final actions would cost her life in the most disturbing way. Samantha didn't like messes, so she would have expected this man to clean up after himself.

But instead, he bailed. The stress Joe was feeling the night of November 7, 2014, had built up inside of him, and he couldn't figure out a way to make things right. In fact, he felt he was the one wronged when he was fired from his job, and when he wasn't able to stop his house from going into foreclosure. The night he killed his wife, he felt cornered and didn't see a happy exit. Didn't see an exit at all, I would imagine. But once he'd done the deed, reality, and then remorse set in.

During the two days, his frostbound wife waited, crumpled in her cold, lonely, dark casket. He fled the scene, but not before making a full confession to the law. Then he took the only way out that he could conceive. He would join his wife. Their loving daughter had her own way of sealing the loose ends and moving on when she affirmed, the memories and moments are what you want to hold on to. In the end, she chose to remember her parents in all the good times, all the happy moments and all the happy memories, rather than the real-life nightmare that ended both of their lives.

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