SC Bookie and Convicted Murderer Brett Parker, Dad Sentenced to Five Months

Irmo, South Carolina bookie Brett Parker, his dad Jack Parker and an associate Douglas E. Taylor were sentenced Wednesday morning in a federal court in Columbia following convictions for illegal bookmaking.

Jack Parker was given five months in a community confinement center or prison and an additional three years of probation in which he will be electronically monitored for the first five months.  The elder Parker was ordered to pay a $70,000 fine.

Taylor received three years of probation, plus eight months of home confinement.  He is required to pay a $3,000 fine.

Prosecutors had to prove that five people were part of the ring and that the business took in at least $2,000 per day or was in operation for 30 consecutive days.

"In a federal gambling case, it's not the gambling itself but the number of people that makes it federal," said Josh Kendrick, who represented Jack Parker.  "So, where an operation where four people were involved would not be a violation of federal law, five people would."

Prosecutors also believed that Brett Parker’s deceased wife played an active role in the operation. 

"We thought Tammy Parker's involvement, though much less involved, was sufficient," said Assistant US Attorney Winston Holliday.  "Then evidence was developed on the laying off of bets and we thought the three names we put in front of the jury were very good.  It's always hard to predict what a jury will do, but I would imagine and it would seem from questions, their decision was based on the lay off bet."

Brett Parker is already serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Tammy Jo, and business partner, Bryan Capnerhurst.

The case gained national attention after being featured on the NBC news magazine “Dateline”.  The trial included details of the bloody murder, illegal bookmaking and illicit affairs.  The state argued that Parker had a massive gambling debt and killed his wife as a means of obtaining monies from a life insurance policy.  Parker shot his wife first, then waited on Capnerhurst to come to the home before killing him as well.  The defense argued the killing was a result of a robbery gone terribly wrong, asserting that Capnerhurst had intended to rob Parker.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com