Towanda, Pa. — A trio of people accused of killing a man and chopping his body up with an ax appeared at the Bradford County Courthouse Friday.
Terry Parker, Ronda Parker, and Summer Heil all worked together to end the life of Michael Pruitt, according to investigators. Friday, all charges including criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse were bound over for trial.
An additional count of abuse of a corpse and hindering apprehension were added to Heil's charges. The second abuse of a corpse charge stemmed from her admission to stabbing the body of Michael Pruitt twice.
"Terry Parker murdered Michael Pruitt," Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson said during the preliminary hearing's closing argument.
Wilson called 14 witnesses Friday morning to help bolster his case to bound over multiple counts against each one of the defendants.
A relative of Ronda Parker was the first witness called to the stand. She provided law enforcement with screen shots of text messages between Ronda Parker and Terry Parker.
"I was concerned," the witness said.
The witness went to the State Police Barracks in Towanda to turn over the messages.
Ronda Parker also called the witness after the alleged murder. The witness claimed Ronda Parker admitted to killing Michael Pruitt.
"I didn't know what to think," she said while on the stand. "I couldn't handle that type of emotional damage."
She told the court Ronda Parker had a tendency to lie about situations, especially when she was off her medication, according to testimony.
"She gets overwhelmed," the witness said of Ronda Parker.
Several Pennsylvania State Police troopers and investigators went on to testify to receiving information on March 11 about a possible homicide at a home in the 1400 block of Sawyer Road in Springfield Township.
"They described how they killed him," the witness said of the text messages.
Rhonda Parker claimed the killing made Terry Parker horny, according to the witness. The two had sex after killing Pruitt and Terry Parker allegedly recorded it.
Ronda Parker also described dismembering Pruitt throughout the text messages sent to the witness.
"Already got more than half of him in the bags," Ronda Parker said in a text provided to lawyers for all three defendants.
Troopers and the Bradford County fire marshal testified to seeing a smoldering pit on the property as they approached. Tests later revealed human bones were burned in the pit. During an interview partially played for the courtroom, Terry Parker claimed the bones were a cat and dog.
A forensic scientist testified to examining the bones and said they were human.
Terry Parker's attorney, Cornelius Joseph Rotteveel, blamed Ronda Parker for the killings. Rotteveel claimed Terry Parker only helped clean up the aftermath.
"Ronda did it," Rotteveel said moments before all charges were bound over for all three defendants. "It's Ronda. Ronda, Ronda, Ronda."
Testimony provided Friday showed Ronda helped lure Michael Pruitt to the home where he was ultimately killed. Pruitt arrived at the home on a Tuesday and was killed Friday.
Prior to the murder, Ronda Parker allegedly kept Pruitt at the home by having sex and using drugs with him.
"Misery loves company," Ronda Parker texted to Pruitt, who spend the next few days with her before being killed.
On the Friday of the killing, Terry Parker texted Ronda Parker, saying "I'm here."
Convinced Pruitt had previously masturbated in front of two young relatives, Ronda Parker lured him to the home at the request of Terry Parker, who pretended to be his estranged wife while texting with Pruitt.
"I'm the one who's going to murder that motherf****r," Terry Parker told Summer Heil on a dashcam recording after the murder. It was played for the courtroom Friday.
Terry Parker was referencing a conversation with Ronda Parker in which he claimed to be taking all the risk. Heil was heard telling Terry Parker she hoped his kids appreciated the fact he was willing to kill for them.
Pruitt was shot inside the kitchen, but ran from Terry Parker yelling, “He shot me, he shot me” in an attempt to get away, according to testimony. Terry Parker followed him into a bedroom where Ronda Parker was found with an infant child. Terry Parker shot Pruitt two more times, killing him.
“He killed him in my kitchen first then while Michael (Pruitt) hung in to my back while I shielded the [sic] baby I was holding and shot him right next to my head,” Ronda Parker wrote in a text message that was turned over to law enforcement. “Then I had to help put him in a trunk and he drove me to my kids where we acquired his girlfriend (Heil).”
The two had sex before wrapping the body up, according to testimony. Terry and Ronda Parker drove the car with the children inside to Harrisburg.
Once in Harrisburg, Terry Parker picked up Heil, who agreed to help with the body. A witness provided text messages confirming the story.
“I guess I passed out and he invited his girlfriend [Heil] back to the house to cut up and dismember and burn the body,” Ronda Parker wrote in a text message to the witness. “I’m covered in brains and blood.”
Ronda Parker continued to detail the “clean up” through messages to several different witnesses.
“I had to clean brains off my walls and floors while my baby laid on the bed exhausted by what he had seen while the [sic] sawed him up into little pieces in the front yard,” read another text sent to a witness by Ronda Parker.
After Pruitt's body was dismembered, Heil went back inside to help Ronda Parker. Terry Parker burned the pieces of the body at the end of Ronda Parker’s driveway. Ronda Parker sent a text claiming cars drove by as he disposed of the body. Ronda Parker sent a text detailing Heil’s involvement.
“His girlfriend [Heil] was inside with me cleaning and bragging about how good if felt to stab a knife repeatedly into his brain,” Ronda Parker said in a text message.
Heil, who sat slumped over in her chair throughout the hearing, was given two extra charges that included abuse of a corpse and hindering apprehension Friday during the hearing.
Wilson, who added the second charge because Heil admitted to stabbing the body twice, claimed Heil wouldn't get a "bulk" discount and only be charged once.
During the clean up, Ronda Parker found a tooth from Pruitt on her infant child’s blanket. Ronda Parker allegedly made reference to it in a text message to Terry Parker later in the night.
“Just found a tooth on my blanket that [infant child] has been on, would you like it as a souvenir,” Ronda Parker said.
The infant's clothing was tested and found to have blood on it, according to an investigator who testified Friday. The witness said results were still pending.
Terry Parker's lawyer gave a conflicting version of events. He claimed Terry Parker got together with Ronda Parker after the killing.
Terry Parker said when he entered the bedroom he saw Pruitt slumped against a wall with a "crater" in his head. Ronda Parker was asked to clean the bedroom. Heil and Terry Parker planned to dismember the body and place the pieces into bags. Ronda Parker described hearing the sound of a saw running as she cleaned the bedroom.
Heil clarified during an interview with State Police they used an ax. She claimed no saw was used to dismember Pruitt's body.
Terry Parker and Heil eventually dismembered the body and reported back to Ronda Parker inside. Terry Parker was concerned about Pruitt's tattoos. He decided it would be best to burn the body.
Ronda Parker told police she did not witness Terry Parker or Heil burn Pruitt's body. She claimed both came back into the home and told her “he’s gone” after some time passed.
The Bradford County fire marshal told the court there were tires being burned in the fire pit, which allegedly helped the fire burn with more intensity, according to his testimony.
Trooper Miranda Musick interviewed Heil about the killings. She testified Friday saying:
Heil admitted to traveling with Terry and Ronda Parker to Bradford County in order to “clean up” the home. She claimed Ronda Parker “baited” Pruitt into coming over. She also told police Terry was going to “f**k up” the victim.
On the night of the killing, Heil claimed Terry Parker called her. He simply said, “It’s over with” in reference to Pruitt.
After meeting Terry and Ronda Parker in Harrisburg, Heil traveled with them back to Bradford County. Once at the home, Terry Parker opened the trunk and said, “That’s Michael.” Heil told Musick it looked like Pruitt had been shot.
Terry Parker and Heil dragged the body to the back of the home. Once there, they removed the sleeping bag and blanket, exposing Pruitt's naked body. Terry Parker, with Heil holding the various limbs, used an ax to dismember the body.
“She explained that it took more than one strike per limb,” Musick said.
Terry Parker cut the victim’s head off before placing the body parts into a wheelbarrow. They burned the body and various items of evidence.
Heil admitted to stabbing the body twice in the chest and once in the head. She blamed her actions on being mad and using methamphetamine.
"She said she stabbed him in the head," Musick said.
Heil claimed it was "for the girls" after the stabbings.
Terry Lynn Parker will face conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. He is being held on denied bail.
Charges of conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence were all bound over for Ronda Parker's trial. She is also being held without bail.
Heil will face an extra count of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and hindering prosecution.
Terry Parker docket sheet
Ronda Parker docket sheet
Summer Heil docket sheet
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