John Parson Escape

John W. Parsons is a convicted criminal from Chillicothe, Ohio. Prior to his capture on October 19, 2006, he was an FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, escape, aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, weapons under disability, tampering with evidence, and grand theft.

Parsons was facing capital charges for the April 21, 2005 murder of Chillicothe Police Officer Larry R. Cox following a gas station robbery. On the evening of April 21, 2005, Chillicothe Police responded to a report of a stolen car being taken from a restaurant. Just 15 minutes later, a disguised armed man robbed the BP Gas Station. The getaway car used in the robbery matched the description of the vehicle stolen earlier. After being chased by a Chillicothe police officer, the suspect bailed out of the car and took off running. At around 10 pm, as he walked from his parent's house to his own, off-duty officer Larry Cox also took up the foot chase, and confronted the robber in an alley way near Chestnut and North High Streets. Cox was shot and killed in the alley. The following clues led investigators to John Parsons, whom police arrested May 1, 2005 and charged with the killing.

Parsons escaped from the Ross County jail on Saturday July 29, 2006. He asked his mother for help escaping, but she was arrested before plans could be made. Parsons made a rope from bedsheets and toilet paper, which he hid behind a brick in the wall of his room. He used toothpaste to disguise the broken mortar around the loose brick.

As a fugitive, he was twice featured on the Fox Network television show America's Most Wanted. He appeared for a third time on that program on September 30, 2006, when he became the 484th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list. After his escape there were numerous reported sightings of Parsons in heavily wooded areas near Chillicothe.

Parsons was captured on October 19, 2006, in eastern Chillicothe. He was arrested without incident by members of the Ross County Tactical Assault Team at approximately 12:20 pm at a small shack near the Chillicothe city limits. A number of law enforcement tactical units converged on the location and planned the arrest to avoid injury to any law enforcement personnel or to Parsons. After being booked into the Ross County Jail, Parsons was transferred to the Ohio Corrections Reception Center in Orient, Pickaway County, Ohio, southwest of Columbus.

Parsons, who led local, state, and national law enforcement on a four-month chase after escaping from the Ross County Jail in July, stood before Judge William Jenkins "Jhan" Corzine III in Ross County Common Pleas Court shortly after 3 pm and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Parsons is currently serving his sentence at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, Ohio.