Devin Lee Parsons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devin Lee Parsons was one of those invisible children living on the margins of society, a happy go lucky kid trapped in his mother's world of poverty, domestic violence and drugs. That all changed on June 3, 2011, when twelve year old Devin was beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend. Devin's abuse had prompted at least 19 reports to DCS. 11 of those reports were made to DCS from September 2010 to June 2011, the period when Jones was living with the family. Welsh said Devin apparently was the only target of physical abuse because he stood up to Jones. One of those reports came about a month before Devin was killed. It came from school officials concerned about scratch marks on Devin's neck. A DCS worker investigating that report said Devin told her he was "afraid to go home because he fears what will happen now that he has told." He told the worker that his mother caused the scratches when she grabbed his neck in a fit of anger and that she had threatened him if he told anyone what happened. Yet, that same day Devin was sent home by DCS. There was yet another report to the agency, but hours before Devin's lifeless body was found a local DCS official closed both investigations with no action taken against Tasha Parsons or Jones. Family members at the time said they were unaware of the abuse that Devin endured. Gilland Jones' sister said she contacted authorities numerous times about Devin and his siblings’ safety. She alerted investigators the children inside the home were in danger. I told them about how he didn't allow the kids lunch; how he beat them if they missed the bus, they had to wake themselves up," Gilland said. Gilland wasn't the only one who called police.  Stacy Damaree alerted authorities too. "I called CPS numerous times myself, you know hoping that something would be done about these kids and now it's a shame that this had to happen this way," Damaree said.  "Even though Gilland and Damaree say they called police about what was going on inside that house, we weren't able to find anything on Tasha Parsons. However, we did find a criminal past on Waldo Jones. According to Indiana Department of Corrections, Jones was released from prison in July of 2010.  Jones had been sentenced in August of 2009 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction for OWI on his record.  "I just think something should have and could have been done," said Gilland.

 

Devin was beaten and tortured over the course of more than twelve hours. Tasha Parsons beat her son with her fists, hands, a leather belt and metal kitchen tray for hours when he refused to reveal where he had hidden her Percocet pills. Devin became unconsciousness, his mother left him for several hours before calling an ambulance. Devin was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed bruises over 90 percent of Devin’s body. His injuries included a broken arm, broken leg, broken ribs and cigarette burns on his face. Devin’s cause of death was multiple blunt force traumatic injuries from head to toe.

 

Tasha’s boyfriend Waldo Jones, was present during the beating but did nothing to help. When arrested at the family home in Louisville, Kentucky, he was found covered in the boy's blood but claimed this was from cleaning up his wounds. Jones and Parsons pleaded guilty to murder charges in exchange for the prosecutor dropping a request that they be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Tasha Parsons was sentenced to 60 years in prison and would not have to serve any probation after her release.
Waldo Jones Jr. plead guilty after a plea deal that dropped the neglect charge against him. Prosecutors were asking for life in prison without parole.