MURPHY/PARSON CASE
Joyce Murphy on her ex-husband Henry Parson who was eventually caught for molesting his daughter’s friends:
“As part of the family court orders, I was not allowed to say or do anything to harrass Mr. Parson. I was excluded for years from all activities with my child. When I was finally allowed visitation which incorporated her school and social activities, I was still under a “gag” order. I would look at parents whose children were allowed to be with Parson and I could not even warn them. In fact most of the parents with whom I interacted snubbed me. I don’t know what he told people. Most of the time when I tried to approach other parents, they would walk away. I wish I could have warned everyone. The police, the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office never believed me. As far back as 2003 I attempted to get help for myself and my child. The family priest, Mark Padrez, OPD, even warned me to keep my daughter away from Parson. When I begged him to come forward to at least speak to the judge in private, he not only refused, he was transferred to a different parish. His last e-mail to me was that any further communication with him would have to be through an attorney. The priest at St. Thomas Moore refused to even speak to me about Parson. The priests at the catholic school in which my daughter was enrolled never even returned my phone calls. Since Parson’s incarceration, I have had community members tell me they were always uncomfortable with him and the children. Some admitted to feeling that he was an abusive father but it was “none of their business”. It may be that some victims have not come forward because the families do not want their children exposed to the publicity. It is my belief that for each child who remained silent, however, it allowed him to get away with molesting others. I do blame the court system for allowing such harm to come to come to these children. They were warned. They chose to do nothing. To the child who came forward (and her parents who did the right thing by supporting her and believing her) YOU are my hero. YOU ARE MY HERO. Thank you.”
Channel 10 News Article:
Henry Parsons Conviction & SentencingFather Sentenced To Jail For Molesting Children
Click to Playby Kristen Castillo July 21, 2009 Vista, Calif. -- A father convicted of molesting children is going to prison, the 10News I-Team reported Tuesday. Henry Parsons, Jr., was sentenced to six years in state prison for sex offenses against children. When the I-Team first reported the case, the courts treated the case as a battle between an ex-husband and an ex-wife. The ex-wife's concerns over his behavior were ignored, until he was arrested for molesting his young daughter's friend. "Mr. Parsons, your acts were certainly reprehensible," Judge Robert Kearney told Parsons as he sentenced the father of three. "It's exactly this type of crime that's a nightmare for parents," he continued. "You certainly have earned every day of the sentence." Parsons admitted his crimes in May when he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex with a child under 14, one count of child molestation for annoying a girl under 18. "Children's lives have been ruined," said Joyce Murphy, Parsons' ex-wife and the mother of their daughter, Sarah. "Family lives have been ruined." "It has been seven years of personal hell," said Murphy who once kidnapped her daughter to keep the girl away from Parsons. She was concerned about Parsons' sexual fantasies involving little children and nightmares from his time in the Vietnam War. Outside the court, Murphy's supporters protested the family court system, saying more needs to be done to protect kids from abuse. Murphy wishes Parsons' sentence were longer. Still, she's relieved he's going to prison. "I wish children had not been damaged," Murphy said. "I feel vindicated at this point." But not everyone agreed with the sentence. "He is not a monster as previously stated," said Debra Hicks, Parsons' other ex-wife with whom he raised two children. Hicks says Parsons is a good man whose emotional breakdown led him to molest. "This is not his true character," said Hicks. Originally, Parsons was accused of molesting one child, but the investigation led to two more victims. Murphy, who was prosecuted for kidnapping their daughter and then only allowed supervised visitation for years, was finally granted full permanent custody of Sarah. Parsons now has two strikes under California's Three Strikes law. If he commits another felony, Parsons could face 25 years to life in prison. Original story can be found at: http://www.10news.com/investigations/20136707/detail.html
“As part of the family court orders, I was not allowed to say or do anything to harrass Mr. Parson. I was excluded for years from all activities with my child. When I was finally allowed visitation which incorporated her school and social activities, I was still under a “gag” order. I would look at parents whose children were allowed to be with Parson and I could not even warn them. In fact most of the parents with whom I interacted snubbed me. I don’t know what he told people. Most of the time when I tried to approach other parents, they would walk away. I wish I could have warned everyone. The police, the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office never believed me. As far back as 2003 I attempted to get help for myself and my child. The family priest, Mark Padrez, OPD, even warned me to keep my daughter away from Parson. When I begged him to come forward to at least speak to the judge in private, he not only refused, he was transferred to a different parish. His last e-mail to me was that any further communication with him would have to be through an attorney. The priest at St. Thomas Moore refused to even speak to me about Parson. The priests at the catholic school in which my daughter was enrolled never even returned my phone calls. Since Parson’s incarceration, I have had community members tell me they were always uncomfortable with him and the children. Some admitted to feeling that he was an abusive father but it was “none of their business”. It may be that some victims have not come forward because the families do not want their children exposed to the publicity. It is my belief that for each child who remained silent, however, it allowed him to get away with molesting others. I do blame the court system for allowing such harm to come to come to these children. They were warned. They chose to do nothing. To the child who came forward (and her parents who did the right thing by supporting her and believing her) YOU are my hero. YOU ARE MY HERO. Thank you.”
Channel 10 News Article:
Henry Parsons Conviction & SentencingFather Sentenced To Jail For Molesting Children
Click to Playby Kristen Castillo July 21, 2009 Vista, Calif. -- A father convicted of molesting children is going to prison, the 10News I-Team reported Tuesday. Henry Parsons, Jr., was sentenced to six years in state prison for sex offenses against children. When the I-Team first reported the case, the courts treated the case as a battle between an ex-husband and an ex-wife. The ex-wife's concerns over his behavior were ignored, until he was arrested for molesting his young daughter's friend. "Mr. Parsons, your acts were certainly reprehensible," Judge Robert Kearney told Parsons as he sentenced the father of three. "It's exactly this type of crime that's a nightmare for parents," he continued. "You certainly have earned every day of the sentence." Parsons admitted his crimes in May when he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex with a child under 14, one count of child molestation for annoying a girl under 18. "Children's lives have been ruined," said Joyce Murphy, Parsons' ex-wife and the mother of their daughter, Sarah. "Family lives have been ruined." "It has been seven years of personal hell," said Murphy who once kidnapped her daughter to keep the girl away from Parsons. She was concerned about Parsons' sexual fantasies involving little children and nightmares from his time in the Vietnam War. Outside the court, Murphy's supporters protested the family court system, saying more needs to be done to protect kids from abuse. Murphy wishes Parsons' sentence were longer. Still, she's relieved he's going to prison. "I wish children had not been damaged," Murphy said. "I feel vindicated at this point." But not everyone agreed with the sentence. "He is not a monster as previously stated," said Debra Hicks, Parsons' other ex-wife with whom he raised two children. Hicks says Parsons is a good man whose emotional breakdown led him to molest. "This is not his true character," said Hicks. Originally, Parsons was accused of molesting one child, but the investigation led to two more victims. Murphy, who was prosecuted for kidnapping their daughter and then only allowed supervised visitation for years, was finally granted full permanent custody of Sarah. Parsons now has two strikes under California's Three Strikes law. If he commits another felony, Parsons could face 25 years to life in prison. Original story can be found at: http://www.10news.com/investigations/20136707/detail.html