Witness in Brett Parker Bookie Case Claims he Handled Money for Murdered Wife
Day One of an illegal bookmaking trial involving South Carolina convicted murderer Brett Parker featured testimony from a witness who claimed he handled money for Parker’s wife.
The State Newspaper explains the significance in implicating Parker’s wife, Tammy Jo, in the scheme. She and a betting clerk were both shot to death by Brett Parker, who is currently serving a life sentence.
Tammy Jo Parker’s participation in the sports-betting operation is key to the federal gambling case against Brett Parker, his father Jack Parker, and Douglas E. Taylor, who worked for Jack Parker.
To convince a jury the three are guilty, assistant U.S. attorneys Nancy Wicker and Winston Holliday must prove that five or more people participated in the ring and that the operation ran over 30 consecutive days or had a gross revenue of $2,000 on any given day.
Brett Parker was considered one of South Carolina’s biggest illegal bookmakers. His murder trial has since been profiled on “Dateline NBC” and a segment is due to air soon on CBS’ “48 Hours Mysteries”.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
