Former High School Student Granted Parole for Double Murder Committed at Age 16

High school student James Parker, now almost forty years old, has been granted parole after serving his entire adult life behind bars for the brutal murder of two Dartmouth professors. In 2001, when he was just sixteen, Parker and a friend Robert Tulloch tricked Half Zantop into believing they were conducting a survey on climate issues in order to rob him and move to Australia with $10,000. After the couple invited them into their New Hampshire home, Tulloch stabbed Half while instructing Parker to do likewise to his wife Susanne. The boys did not know the Zantops and chose their house because it appeared expensive and was surrounded by trees. Although police initially suspected a crime of passion from an alleged affair between one of the victims and Parker or Tulloch, fingerprints on knife sheaths and a bloody boot print led them to the two teenagers three weeks after the murders in January 2001.
During his parole hearing last week, now nearly twenty-five years later, Parker expressed deep remorse for his actions, describing them as “unimaginably horrible.” He told New Hampshire’s state parole board that he and Tulloch were attempting to move overseas in order to live an adventurous life. However, he acknowledged the fact that he couldn’t explain how such a plan could have ever occurred to him or his friend. Parker went on to say: “I know there’s not an amount of time or things I can do to change it (his actions) or alleviate any pain I‘ve caused.”
Those who knew the high school boys at the time were shocked by their involvement in such a heinous crime. Casey Purcell, a senior who attended Chelsea High School with Parker and Tulloch, said: “Jimmy is the class clown… Rob is the one who always gets voted Most Likely to Take Over the World…” Both boys liked tricks but were not known for any violent tendencies whatsoever.
Parker’s attorney Cathy Green touted her client’s “stellar” disciplinary record during his time behind bars, telling New Hampshire’s state parole board that he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree while in prison and had created artwork now on display there as well. Parker has also acted in jailhouse theatrical productions, taken up sports, and helped to develop educational guidelines for other prisoners during his time behind bars.
Robert Tulloch received a mandatory sentence of life without parole following the double murders committed by he and Parker nearly two decades ago, however after its 2012 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to sentence juvenile offenders such as them to serve whole life terms in prison. As a result, Tulloch is scheduled for a new sentencing hearing which will take place next month.
In light of Parker’s parole being granted and in an apparent response by Susanne Zantop’s daughter Veronika Zantop following the news that he could soon be released from prison said: “This is a hard one to make a statement about, especially because I can’t speak for everyone affected by what happened.” She went on to say: “For me — I miss my parents and am deeply sad for everything they – and we – have missed out on. I miss my father’s sense of humor and kindness and my mother’s sharp wit and tenacity in all things. Among so many other things…” The Zantops, both German immigrants who taught at Dartmouth University, were described as “beloved” by their students and colleagues alike and had an open invitation to visit the homes of many of them prior to their brutal murders more than twenty years ago.