James Parker, a man who spent more than half his life in prison for his role in the murders of Dartmouth College professors Half and Susanne Zantop in 2001, has been granted parole.
Parker was just 16 when he and his friend Robert Tulloch, 17, fatally stabbed the two married teachers, after planning for months to rob and kill people before fleeing to Australia.
Parker, now 39, pleaded guilty to accessory to second-degree murder in 2004, according to court documents. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, minus the 410 days he had already served. The earliest he could be released is May 22, 2024.
As part of his parole agreement, Parker is barred from any contact with the Zantop family and must “engage in clinically indicated mental health treatment,” WMUR reported.
At his parole hearing, Parker described the murder of the two teachers as “incredibly horrific.” “I know I don’t have a lot of time or things I can do to change this or relieve the pain I’ve caused,” he said.
Since my incarceration, “I’ve learned a lot about myself and what it really means to be part of the world, to be part of the community,” he said.
At the time of the crime, Parker and Tulloch “were bored” of their home in Chelsea, Vermont and “decided they wanted to leave and eventually settled in Australia,” according to court documents. Although they initially discussed legal ways to obtain the money to finance their trip, they ultimately decided to rob random owners and then kill them so there would be no witnesses.
The two men went to the homes of several strangers, claiming they were conducting an investigation, in an unsuccessful attempt to choose the targets of their crime. On January 27, 2001, after first knocking on the door of a house in Hanover, New Hampshire, where no one was there, they approached the Zantop house next door because it looked “expensive.” , according to court documents. Half Zantop was a professor in the Earth Sciences department at Dartmouth College, while Susanne Zantop was chair of the German Studies department.
The Zantops invited Parker and Tulloch, where they conducted their fake investigation. Tulloch attacked Half Zantop, stabbing him in the chest. Parker then slit Susanne Zantop’s throat. The two teenagers then took Half Zantop’s wallet and fled.
Police used fingerprints on knife sheaths the two men left at the Zantops’ home, as well as blood on knives found at Tulloch’s home and on Tulloch’s boots, to link them to the crime.
Parker’s lawyer, Cathy Green, told CNN in a statement that her client has “fully accepted responsibility for his actions and is deeply remorseful.”
The motion to suspend Parker’s sentence highlights his dedication to rehabilitation while incarcerated. While serving his sentence, he completed high school and college and earned a master’s degree, according to court documents. He also has “served in numerous volunteer roles in the prison where he showed an extraordinary commitment to doing good and helping others.
Additionally, he hosted a job fair for other inmates, underwent mental health counseling, painted murals throughout the prison, and worked to introduce theater programming to the prison.
Court documents show Parker filed a previous motion to suspend his sentence in 2019, but withdrew it after discovering the Zantops’ daughters had objected.
At the parole hearing, a victim advocate representing the Zantop family requested that an order be put in place prohibiting Parker from having contact with the family, which was granted, according to WMUR.
CNN has reached out to the Zantop family for comment.
Tulloch, now 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A resentencing hearing is scheduled for July, WMUR reported, because of a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a mandatory life sentence for someone under 18 is cruel and unusual.
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