Judge Denies SC Bookie Convicted of Killing Wife New Trial

An Irmo, South Carolina bookie convicted for the 2012 shooting death of his wife has been denied a new gambling trial.

Attorneys for Brett Parker filed the motion after a key witness, Ben Staples, was charged with fraud.  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Staples was part of a scheme to defraud funds from terminally ill patients. 

Parker’s attorneys argued that the outcome of the bookmaking trial may have been different had there been knowledge of a federal investigation into Staples.

Parker, along with his father, and one other man were convicted of running a sports betting ring in September.

Brett Parker was already serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Tammy Jo, and a business associate, 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.

The CBS crime news magazine "48 Hours" was also expected to profile the case in the future.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com